Table on the history of the Patriotic War 1941. Great Patriotic War

The Great Patriotic War is one of the most terrible and difficult pages in our history. Even Soviet historians decided to divide the period of hostilities into three main stages - the time of defense, the time of offensive and the time of liberation of lands from invaders and victory over Germany. The victory in the Patriotic War was of great importance not only for the Soviet Union, the defeat and destruction of fascism had an impact on further political and economic development all over the world. And the prerequisites for the great victory were laid in the initial time periods of the Great Patriotic War.

Main stages

Each of the three main designated periods of the Great Patriotic War had its own characteristics, its pros and cons, its mistakes and important victories. Thus, the first stage is the time of defense, the time of heavy defeats, which, however, gave the opportunity to consider weak sides Red (then) Army and eliminate them. The second stage is characterized as the time of the start of offensive operations, crucial moment during military operations. Having realized the mistakes they had made and having gathered all their strength, the Soviet troops were able to go on the offensive. The third stage is the period of the offensive, victorious movement of the Soviet Army, the time of liberation of the occupied lands and the final expulsion fascist invaders from the territory of the Soviet Union. The march of the army continued across Europe right up to the borders of Germany. And by May 9, 1945, the fascist troops were finally defeated, and the German government was forced to capitulate. Victory Day is important date modern history.

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However, it is worth noting that with the end of the Patriotic War, World War II was not over yet. Here, historians highlight another stage, dating back to the Second World War, and not the Patriotic War, within the time frame from May 10, 1945 to September 2, 1945. This period is characterized by the victory over Japan and the defeat of the remaining troops allied with Nazi Germany.

1941 June 22. Germany's treacherous attack on the Soviet Union. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

1941 June 24. Formation of the Evacuation Council (chairman - N.M. Shvernik, deputy - A.N. Kosygin).

1941 June 30. Formation of the State Defense Committee headed by I.V. Stalin.

1941 July 12. Signing of an agreement between the USSR and Great Britain on joint actions in the war against Germany.

1941 September 8. Breakthrough of German troops to Lake Ladoga. The beginning of the defense of Leningrad during the siege.

1941 September 18. Creation of the Soviet Guard. 4 rifle divisions that distinguished themselves in the battles near Yelnya were renamed Guards.

UK and USA. Signing a protocol on mutual military supplies.

Vyazma and two armies of the Bryansk Front south of Bryansk. 663 thousand people were captured.

1941 October 20. Introduction of a state of siege in Moscow and surrounding areas.

1941 November 10 - December 30. Tikhvin operation. Counter-offensive of Soviet troops of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts, liberation of Tikhvin. Enemy retreat across the Volkhov River.

1941 November 17 - December 2. Rostov operation of the Red Army. Liberation of Rostov-on-Don by troops of the Southern Front, enemy retreat across the Mius River.

1941 December 5 - January 7, 1942 Counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Moscow.

1941 December 7. Attack of Japanese forces on US and British bases and possessions in the Pacific.

1942 May 26. Signing in London of an agreement between the USSR and Great Britain on an alliance in the war against Germany.

1942 May 30. Decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR on the creation of the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement at Headquarters.

1942 June 11. Signing in Washington of an agreement between the USSR and the USA on mutual assistance.

1942 August 23. Breakthrough of German troops to the Volga north of Stalingrad. Massive air raid on the city.

1942 November 6-12. The defeat of a group of German troops near Ordzhonikidze (Vladikavkaz).

1942 November 19-20. The transition to the counteroffensive of Soviet troops near Stalingrad.

1942 December 12-23. Soviet troops repulsed a counterattack by a German tank group trying to break through to Stalingrad.

1943 January 10 - February 2. Fighting in Stalingrad to eliminate the encircled group of German troops.

1943 January 24 - February 2. Defeat of German, Hungarian and Italian troops on the Upper Don.

1943 January 31. Surrender of the main group of German troops surrounded in Stalingrad, led by Field Marshal Paulus.

1943 February 2. The surrender of the remnants of the German troops and the end of the fighting in Stalingrad.

1943 February 6. Liberation of Kursk by troops of the Central Front. Formation of the Kursk Bulge.

1943 April 17 - June 7. Air battles over Kuban. The conquest of air supremacy by Soviet pilots.

1943 August 5. Liberation of Orel and Belgorod. The first victorious artillery salute in Moscow.

1943 September 21-30. The exit of Soviet troops to the Dnieper and the capture of bridgeheads on its right bank.

1943 October 9. Complete liberation of the Taman Peninsula. The end of the battle for the Caucasus.

1943 November 1st. Crossing of Sivash. Creation of a bridgehead on the northern coast of Crimea.

1943 November 28 - December 1. Tehran Conference of Heads of Government of the USSR, USA and Great Britain.

1944 January 14-20. The defeat of German troops near Leningrad and Novgorod. The final lifting of the blockade of Leningrad.

1944 January 24 - February 17. Encirclement and liquidation of German troops in the Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya area.

1944 January 27 - February 11. Rivne-Lutsk offensive operation of the 1st Ukrainian Front.

1944 June 6. Allied landings in Normandy. Opening of a second front in Europe.

1944 June 10-20. Breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line. Capture of Vyborg by troops of the Leningrad Front.

1944 June 23-24. The beginning of Operation Bagration to defeat German troops in Belarus.

1944 August 20. The transition of troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts to the offensive in Romania and Moldova. Encirclement of German-Romanian troops in the Chisinau region.

1944 October 10. Breakthrough of the troops of the 1st Baltic Front on the Baltic Sea coast. Isolation of 33 German divisions in Courland.

1944 October 20. Troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front and parts of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia liberated Belgrade.

1945 The 4th Five-Year Plan is drawn up.

1945 January 12. The transition of the Soviet troops to the offensive in Poland and East Prussia.

1945 January 17. Liberation of Warsaw by the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front and the Polish Army.

1945 February 3. Crossing of the Oder River by troops of the 1st Belorussian Front in the Kyustrino area.

1945 February 4-11. Crimean conference of heads of government of the USSR, USA and Great Britain.

1945 April 24. The encirclement of Berlin by troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts.

1945 April 24. Meeting of Soviet and American troops in the Torgau area on the Elbe River.

1945 July 17 - August 2. Potsdam Conference of Heads of Government of the USSR, USA and Great Britain.

1945 August 6. The US Air Force dropped atomic bomb to the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

1945 August 9. The American Air Force dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.

1945 August 19. End of resistance by Japanese troops in Manchuria. Soviet troops capture Harbin and Mukden.

). Capture of Lvov by the Germans (see Lvov-Chernivtsi operation.) Creation of the highest authority in the USSR for the war period - State Committee Defense (GKO): chairman Stalin, members - Molotov (deputy chairman), Beria, Malenkov, Voroshilov.

3 July. Stalin's order to organize the partisan movement behind German lines and to destroy everything that the enemy could get. Stalin’s first radio speech since the beginning of the war: “Brothers and sisters!.. My friends!.. Despite the heroic resistance of the Red Army, despite the fact that the enemy’s best divisions and the best units of his aviation have already been defeated and have found their grave on the battlefield , the enemy continues to advance.”

July 10. The end of the 14-day battles near Bialystok and Minsk, more than 300 thousand Soviet soldiers were surrounded here in two bags. The Nazis complete the encirclement of the 100,000-strong Red Army group near Uman. The beginning of the battle of Smolensk (July 10 - August 5).

The Great Patriotic War. Catastrophe. 1941

October 15. Evacuation of the leadership of the Communist Party, the General Staff and administrative institutions from Moscow.

29th of October. The Germans drop a large bomb on the Kremlin: 41 people are killed and more than 100 are wounded.

November 1-15. Temporary cessation of the German offensive on Moscow due to exhaustion of troops and severe mud.

November 6. In his annual speech on the October anniversary, Stalin announced the failure of the German Blitzkrieg (blitzkrieg) in Russia.

November 15 – December 4. An attempt at a decisive German push towards Moscow.

Battle for Moscow. Documentary from the series “The Unknown War”

November 22. Rostov-on-Don is occupied by the Germans - and a week later it is recaptured by units of the Red Army. The beginning of German defensive battles in the Donetsk basin.

December 28th. Liberation of Kaluga by Soviet troops. Battles between Ilmen and Ladoga lakes (December 28, 1941 – June 27, 1942).

1942

Before January 1, 1942 The Red Army and Navy lose a total of 4.5 million people, of which 2.3 million are missing and captured (most likely, these figures are incomplete). Despite this, Stalin longs to end the war victoriously already in 1942, which becomes the cause of many strategic mistakes.

1st of January . The United Nations Union (26 nations fighting against the fascist bloc) was created in Washington - the beginning of the UN. It also includes the USSR.

Jan. 7 . The beginning of the Soviet Lyubanskaya offensive operation: attempts to strike from two sides at Lyuban, located north of Novgorod, to encircle the German troops located here. This operation lasts 16 weeks, ending in failure and defeat of the 2nd Shock Army of A. Vlasov.

January 8 . Rzhev-Vyazemskaya operation of 1942 (8.01 – 20.04): an unsuccessful attempt to quickly “cut off” the Rzhev ledge held by the Germans costs the Red Army (according to official Soviet data) 770 thousand losses against 330 thousand German ones.

January February . Encirclement of the Germans on the Demyansk bridgehead (southern Novgorod region, January – February). They defend here until April - May, when they break through the encirclement, holding Demyansk. German losses were 45 thousand, Soviet losses were 245 thousand.

February 23. Roosevelt's Lend-Lease Act applied to all Allied nations (USSR).

April 1st. A special resolution of the Politburo subjected Voroshilov to devastating criticism, who refused to accept command of the Volkhov Front.

May 8-21 . Battle for the Kerch Peninsula. Kerch was taken by the Germans (May 15). The failed attempt to liberate Crimea in 1942 cost the Red Army up to 150 thousand losses.

August 23. Exit 6 German army to the outskirts of Stalingrad. Beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad. The brutal bombing of the city by the Germans.

September 30th. Hitler announces Germany's transition from an offensive strategy to a defensive one (development of conquered territories).

From January to October The Red Army loses 5.5 million soldiers killed, wounded and captured.

October 9. Elimination of the institution of commissars in the Red Army, introduction of unity of command among military commanders.

11th of November. The German army breaks through to the Volga in Stalingrad, the Soviet troops defending the city are divided into two narrow pockets.

November 19. The beginning of the Soviet counteroffensive at Stalingrad - Operation Uranus.

November 25. Beginning of the Second Rzhev-Sychevsky Operation (“Operation Mars”, 11/25 – 12/20): unsuccessful attempt defeat the 9th German Army at Rzhev. It costs the Red Army 100 thousand killed and 235 thousand wounded against 40 thousand total German losses. If "Mars" had ended successfully, it would have been followed by "Jupiter": the defeat of the main part German group armies "Center" in the Vyazma region.

December 16. The beginning of the Red Army operation “Little Saturn” (December 16-30) - a strike from the south Voronezh region(from Kalach and Rossosh), to Morozovsk (north of the Rostov region). Initially, it was planned to rush south all the way to Rostov-on-Don and thus cut off the entire German group “South”, but “Big Saturn” did not have enough strength for this, and had to limit itself to “Small”.

December 23. Termination of Operation Winter Storm - Manstein's attempt to rescue the Germans in Stalingrad with a blow from the south. Capture by the Red Army airfield in Tatsinskaya - the main external source supplying the encircled Stalingrad group of Germans.

1943

1 January. The beginning of the North Caucasus operation of the Red Army.

6 January. Decree “On the introduction of shoulder straps for Red Army personnel.”

11 January. Liberation of Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk and Mineralnye Vody from the Germans.

January 12-30. The Soviet Operation Iskra breaches the siege of Leningrad, opening (after the liberation of Shlisselburg on January 18) a narrow land corridor to the city. Soviet losses in this operation - approx. 105 thousand killed, wounded and prisoners, German - approx. 35 thousand

21 January. Liberation of Voroshilovsk (Stavropol) from the Germans.

January 29. The beginning of the Voroshilovgrad operation of Vatutin (“Operation Leap”, January 29 – February 18): the initial goal is to reach through Voroshilovgrad and Donetsk Sea of ​​Azov and cut off the Germans in the Donbass, but only managed to take Izyum and Voroshilovgrad (Lugansk).

The 14th of February. Liberation of Rostov-on-Don and Lugansk by the Red Army. Creation of the Malaya Zemlya bridgehead by the Red Army at Myskhako, with the aim of attacks on Novorossiysk. The Germans, however, were held in Novorossiysk until September 16, 1943.

February 19. The beginning of Manstein's counteroffensive in the south (the "Third Battle of Kharkov"), which disrupts the Soviet Operation Leap.

March 1. The beginning of Operation Buffel (Buffalo, March 1-30): German troops, through a systematic retreat, leave the Rzhev salient in order to transfer part of their forces from there to the Kursk Bulge. Soviet historians then present "Buffel" not as a deliberate retreat of the Germans, but as a successful offensive "Rzhevo-Vyazemsk operation of the Red Army of 1943".

April 13. The Germans announce the discovery of a mass grave of Polish officers shot by the Soviet NKVD near Smolensk, near Katyn.

5'th of July. The German offensive on the northern and southern fronts of the Kursk ledge - the beginning Battle of Kursk(5-23 July 1943).

July 10. Anglo-American landing in Sicily. Their start of military operations in Italy distracts a lot of enemy forces from the Soviet front and is actually tantamount to the opening of a Second Front in Europe. On July 25, the fascist regime collapses in Italy, Mussolini is arrested.

July, 12. The Battle of Prokhorovka was a stop to the most dangerous German breakthrough on the southern front of the Kursk Bulge. Losses in Operation Citadel (July 5-12): Soviet – approx. 180 thousand soldiers, German - approx. 55 thousand Beginning of Operation Kutuzov - the Soviet counter-offensive on Oryol arc(northern face of the Kursk ledge).

August 3rd. The beginning of Operation Rumyantsev (Belgorod-Kharkov) - a counter-offensive of the Red Army on the southern front of the Kursk ledge.

August 3-5. Stalin's only trip to the front (to the Rzhev region) during the entire war.

September 3 - October 9. The evacuation of the Germans from Taman: despite all the efforts of the Red Army to prevent this, through Kerch Strait 260 thousand German soldiers, 70 thousand horses, all equipment, artillery and food supplies were transported to Crimea.

4 September. At a meeting with the heads of the Russian Church, Stalin allows the re-establishment of spiritual governing bodies, the election of a patriarch and the Holy Synod, the opening of theological seminaries and academies (recognition of the role that the Russian Orthodox Church played and is still capable of playing in the war and the loyalty of the people to the ideals of Orthodoxy).

September 25. Units of the Red Army capture Smolensk and reach the Dnieper line. Losses in the Smolensk operation: Soviet - 450 thousand; German - 70 thousand (according to German data) or 200-250 thousand (according to Soviet data).

October 7th. New big Soviet offensive from Vitebsk to the Taman Peninsula.

October 19-30. Third Moscow Conference three great powers The foreign ministers participating in it are Molotov, Eden and Cordell Hull. At this conference, the USA and England promise to open a second (besides the Italian) front in Europe in the spring of 1944; four great powers (including China) sign the “Declaration on Global Security”, where for the first time together proclaim the formula for the unconditional surrender of fascist states as an indispensable condition for ending the war; A European Advisory Commission is created (consisting of representatives of the USSR, USA and England) to discuss issues related to the surrender of the Axis states.

End of october. Dnepropetrovsk and Melitopol were taken by the Red Army. The German group in Crimea is cut off.

November 6. Liberation of Kyiv from the Germans. Losses in the Kyiv operation: Soviet: 118 thousand, German - 17 thousand.

November 9. Congress of representatives of the 44 United Nations in Washington (November 9 – December 1).

the 13th of November. Liberation of Zhitomir from the Germans. On November 20, Zhitomir was recaptured by the Germans - and liberated again on December 31.

November December. Manstein's unsuccessful counterattack on Kyiv.

November 28 – December 1. The Tehran Conference (Roosevelt – Churchill – Stalin) decides to open a second front in the West - and not in the Balkans, but in France; the Western allies agree to confirm after the war the Soviet-Polish border of 1939 (along the “Curzon line”); they veiledly agree to recognize the entry of the Baltic states into the USSR; Roosevelt's proposal to create a new world organization to replace the former League of Nations is generally approved; Stalin promises to enter the war against Japan after the defeat of Germany.

1944

January 24 - February 17. The Korsun-Shevchenko operation leads to the encirclement of 10 German divisions in the Dnieper bend.

March 29. The Red Army occupies Chernivtsi, and the day before, near this city, it enters the territory of Romania.

April 10th. Odessa is taken by the Red Army. The first awards of the Order of Victory: Zhukov and Vasilevsky received it, and on April 29 - Stalin.

Second World War. Russian steam roller

June 6 . Allied landing in Normandy (Operation Overlord). Opening of the Second Front in Western Europe.

IN June 1944 the number of active Soviet army reaches 6.6 million; it has 13 thousand aircraft, 8 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 100 thousand guns and mortars. The ratio of forces on the Soviet-German front in terms of personnel is 1.5:1 in favor of the Red Army, in terms of guns and mortars 1.7:1, in terms of aircraft 4.2:1. The forces in tanks are approximately equal.

June 23 . The beginning of Operation Bagration (June 23 - August 29, 1944) - the liberation of Belarus by the Red Army.

21 July. The creation of the Polish Committee of National Liberation (PKNO) in Moscow - the beginning of the future pro-Soviet government of Poland.

August 1. Soviet troops stop on the outskirts of Warsaw, where on this day the Home Army uprising against the Germans begins.

August 20-29. Iasi-Kishinev operation (20-29.08) - a secondary offensive of the Red Army in this area; the first, in April–May, ended in failure. Now, on August 20, Iasi was taken, and on August 24, Chisinau.

September 17. Stalin's sharp reprimand to Mikoyan for his request to allocate grain loans to a number of regions: since victory over Germany is close, Stalin begins to take steps to break the system of “semi-collective” leadership that emerged at the beginning of the war, personified by the State Defense Committee.

September. After much delay, Himmler finally agrees to the creation of integral Russian divisions allied to the Wehrmacht. Immediately after this, up to 300 thousand applications were received from the “Ostovites” to join the Vlasov ROA.

2 October. On the 62nd day of the Warsaw Uprising, Polish patriots, led by General Bor-Komorowski, surrender to German troops.

October 9-19. Fourth Moscow Conference of the Three Great Powers (Stalin, Churchill, Harriman). Main question– “Agreement on Interest”: Churchill proposes to divide post-war influence in South-Eastern Europe in the following proportions: Romania - Russia 90%, the rest - 10%, Bulgaria - 75 and 25, Greece - 10 and 90, Yugoslavia and Hungary - 50 and 50. In negotiations the next day between Foreign Ministers Molotov and Eden, the percentage of Soviet influence in Bulgaria and Hungary is increased to 80. In addition, the British at the conference agree to return to the Soviet Union everyone without exception former Soviet citizens, even those who he doesn't want to come back, since they are all supposedly “freed from German captivity" The “interest agreement” was then not actually implemented.

from October 13. Tripartite Soviet-Anglo-Polish negotiations in Moscow on the borders of Poland. Despite pressure from Churchill, Mikolajczyk does not agree to the “Curzon Line”.

November 6. Stalin announces that the entire territory of the USSR has been cleared of German troops.

November 22. Introduction to the State Defense Committee and the appointment of civilian N. Bulganin as Stalin's deputy in the People's Commissariat of Defense. Stalin creates a counterweight to the marshals who became stronger during the war.

December 10. De Gaulle's visit to Moscow, signing of the Soviet-French Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance for 20 years.

1945

January 12. The Red Army begins a new big offensive - the Vistula-Oder (January 12 - February 3) and East Prussian (January 13 - April 25) operations.

January 26. The Red Army reaches the Baltic Sea in the Elbing area, cutting off the East Prussian group of Germans from the rest of Germany.

January 30. The Soviet submarine S-13 captain Marinesko sinks the ship "Wilhelm Gustloff", killing from 5350 to 10 thousand Germans evacuated from East Prussia (higher estimates are more likely).

February 4-11. Yalta Conference (Roosevelt - Churchill - Stalin): the decision to occupy Germany after the war and the allocation of 4 occupation zones for the USSR, USA, Great Britain and France; the decision to demilitarize and denazify Germany; it was decided to take reparations from Germany; it was finally established to draw a new Polish border along the Curzon Line and give the Poles “compensation” for this at the expense of German lands; it was decided to reorganize the government of the “Lublin Committee” in Poland on a “broader basis” (Stalin also promises “democratic elections” in Poland, but in extremely vague formulations); It was decided to hold the founding conference of the UN in April. Stalin agrees to enter the war with Japan “two or three months after the surrender of Germany”, for which the USSR was promised Southern Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, the lease of Port Arthur, the internationalization of the port of Dalian, the joint Soviet-Chinese ownership of the Chinese Eastern Railway and the South Moscow Railway. The “Declaration of a Liberated Europe”, presented by Roosevelt as a development of the principles of the Atlantic Charter, was adopted - a platonic document with a promise to establish governments everywhere in Europe after the defeat of the Nazis according to the democratic choice of the people (which was soon cynically violated by Stalin). The main result of Yalta was the actual agreement between Roosevelt and Churchill, despite all the freedom-loving phrases, to divide Europe into Western and communist spheres of influence. In Yalta, agreements on the “return of captive citizens to their homeland” were also confirmed, which is tantamount to the forced extradition of all its former citizens, even from the American continent, to the USSR without taking into account their actual will.

The Second World War. Victory in Europe

March, 6. The creation in Yugoslavia of a coalition cabinet led by Tito from 9 communist ministers and 6 former royal ministers (already in August - October three royal ministers, including former prime ministerŠubasic resigned under pressure from the communists).

March 7. The creation of a government in Romania headed by the leader of the Farmers' Front, Petru Groza, which was essentially communist.

March 27. The arrest by the NKVD of 16 prominent figures from the “London” government of Poland, who arrived under Soviet security guarantees to negotiate the creation of a “joint” cabinet with the “Lubliners”; at the public “Trial of 16” in Moscow (June), most of them were sentenced to prison terms.

25th of April. The beginning of the assault on Berlin by the Red Army. Opening of the conference in San Francisco at which the UN is created.

Event, battle: surprise attack of Nazi Germany (without declaring war) on the Soviet Union

Summary, meaning, result: Soviet troops were not ready and could not give a worthy rebuff. The Nazis advanced deep into the country

Event, battle: defense of Odessa

Summary, meaning, result: the defense of Odessa delayed the enemy for a long time and contributed to the disruption of Hitler’s “Barbarossa” war plan

Event, battle: blockade of Leningrad (872 days of siege of the city by a dense ring of Nazi troops). The ring was broken by Soviet troops on January 18, 1943, but the blockade was completely lifted only a year later

Summary, meaning, result: more than 650 thousand Leningraders died from hunger and German bombing in a city cut off from the world

Event, battle: defense of Sevastopol

Summary, meaning, result: Sevastopol was surrendered to the enemy. Soviet troops, like German ones, suffered huge losses. The Germans, due to the fact that they could not take Sevastopol for almost a year, were unable to quickly advance into the interior of the country, as they had planned. And this helped thwart Hitler’s “Barbarossa” plan to conquer the USSR.

Event, battle: Battle for Moscow

Results, significance, result: Moscow did not fall to Hitler, the Barbarossa plan to conquer the USSR was thwarted.

Event, battle: Battle of Stalingrad

Summary, meaning, result: failure of Germany's offensive against the USSR. The beginning of the Soviet offensive. A group of fascist troops led by Field Marshal Paulus was surrounded and captured. The city of Stalingrad (Volgograd) was almost completely destroyed

Event, battle: Battle of Kursk (“Kursk Bulge”). The largest tank battle in the history of the whole world

Summary, meaning, result: gave a turning point in the war. Now the Red Army began to lead the attack, and the German army began to retreat

Event, battle: Battle for the Caucasus

Summary, meaning, result: Germany was unable to capture the Caucasus and its oil wells and was forced to retreat.

Date of: June 1944

Event, battle: the allies of the USSR (the British and the British) opened a “second front” against Hitler in France and began advancing towards Germany

Summary, meaning, result: weakening of Germany from the west

Event, battle: battle for Berlin. The largest battle in the history of the planet

Summary, meaning, result: The capital of Germany, Berlin, is captured by Soviet troops. The Reichstag, the building of the government of Nazi Germany, fell

Event, battle: Hitler's suicide in a secret bunker in Berlin

Summary, meaning, result: Germany was left without a war leader

Event, battle: official capitulation (surrender) of Germany

Summary, meaning, result: Union victory in the war

The liberation war of the USSR against Germany 1941-1945 is conventionally divided into periods, each of which has its own characteristics. From the article we will learn which stage of the Great Patriotic War certain events belong to.

First stage

After the unexpected invasion of the USSR on June 22, 1941, superiority was on the side of the German army. As a result of border battles that were unsuccessful for the Soviet troops (06.22-30.1941), the Nazis managed to break through and capture the border republics (the Baltic states, Belarus, part of Ukraine).

Germany has outlined progress in two important directions: Leningrad and Moscow. During the first offensive, Leningrad was besieged (08.09.

1941). In September-November, the Germans successfully advanced towards Moscow, but having encountered fierce resistance, they stopped. The Battle of Moscow (09/30/1941-04/20/1942) was won by Soviet troops.

The defeat in the Crimea and near Kharkov greatly weakened the Red Army. The Germans managed to clear their way to the Caucasus and Stalingrad.

Rice. 1. Battle for Moscow.

Second phase

In November 1942, the counter-offensive part of the Stalingrad operation (07/17/1942-02/02/1943) marked the beginning of a new stage. Having achieved success in Battle of Stalingrad, Soviet army secured it on the Rzhev-Vyazma ledge, near Kursk, on the banks of the Dnieper, in the North Caucasus. The blockade of Leningrad was broken (01/18/1943).

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This stage is also called a “radical turning point”, since the victory of the Red Army in a number of large-scale battles determined the further course of the war. The USSR managed to intercept and maintain the strategic initiative (imposing its plan of military action on the enemy). Even world leaders recognized the superiority of the Union over Germany during this period, even then predicting the defeat of the Hitler coalition.

Rice. 2. Liberation of the North Caucasus.

Third stage

The beginning of this stage is considered to be January 1944, when the reconquest of Right Bank Ukraine began. Its result was the pushing back of the Germans to the borders with Romania (April 1944).

In January 1944, the blockade of Leningrad was lifted, and from April to November Crimea, Belarus, and the Baltic states were liberated.

In 1945, Soviet troops did not stop at their borders, but began to liberate countries of Eastern Europe. In April, the USSR army entered the Berlin direction. On May 2, after a successful Soviet assault, Berlin surrendered.

After the surrender of Germany, on 05/09/1945, Soviet troops carried out another operation. The Baltic Fleet landed on the Danish island of Bornholm. After Soviet soldiers captured important objects (telegraph, port), the German garrison surrendered. This marked the end of the liberation of Denmark.

Rice. 3. Bornholm landing.

results

The main results of each period are shown in the table of stages of the Great Patriotic War: