By June 1941 Second World War, having drawn about 30 states into its orbit, came close to the borders of the Soviet Union. There was no force in the West that could stop the army of Nazi Germany, which by that time had already occupied 12 European states. The next military-political goal - the main one in its significance - was the defeat of the Soviet Union for Germany.
Having decided to start a war with the USSR and relying on “lightning speed”, the German leadership intended to complete it by the winter of 1941. In accordance with the plan, “Barbarossa” was deployed near the borders of the USSR giant armada selected, well-trained and armed troops. The German General Staff placed its main bet on the crushing power of a sudden first strike, the rapid rush of concentrated forces of aviation, tanks and infantry to the vital political and economic centers of the country.
Having completed the concentration of troops, Germany attacked our country early in the morning of June 22, without declaring war, unleashing a barrage of fire and metal. The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union began against Nazi invaders.
For 1418 long days and nights, the peoples of the USSR walked towards victory. This path was incredibly difficult. Our Motherland has fully experienced both the bitterness of defeat and the joy of victory. The initial period was especially difficult.
Invasion of German troops on Soviet territory
While a new day was breaking in the east - June 22, 1941, the shortest night of the year was still ongoing on the western border of the Soviet Union. And no one could even imagine that this day would be the beginning of the bloody war, which will last four long years. The headquarters of the German army groups concentrated on the border with the USSR received the pre-arranged signal “Dortmund”, which meant to begin the invasion.
Soviet intelligence discovered the preparations the day before, which the headquarters of the border military districts immediately reported to the General Staff of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA). Thus, the chief of staff of the Baltic Special Military District, General P.S. Klenov reported at 22:00 on June 21 that the Germans had completed the construction of bridges across the Neman, and the civilian population was ordered to evacuate at least 20 km from the border, “there is talk that the troops have received orders to take their starting position for the offensive.” Chief of Staff of the Western Special Military District, Major General V.E. Klimovskikh reported that the German wire fences that had stood along the border during the day had been removed by evening, and the noise of engines could be heard in the forest located not far from the border.
In the evening, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M. Molotov invited the German Ambassador Schulenburg and told him that Germany, without any reason, was worsening relations with the USSR every day. Despite repeated protests Soviet side, German planes continue to invade its airspace. There are persistent rumors about an impending war between our countries. The Soviet government has every reason to believe this, because the German leadership did not react in any way to the TASS report of June 14. Schulenburg promised to immediately report the claims he had heard to his government. However, on his part, this was just an ordinary diplomatic excuse, because the German ambassador was well aware that the Wehrmacht troops were brought to full strength. combat readiness and are just waiting for a signal to move east.
With the onset of dusk on June 21, the Chief of the General Staff, Army General G.K. Zhukov received a call from the Chief of Staff of the Kyiv Special Military District, General M.A. Purkaev and reported about a German defector who said that at dawn the next day the German army would start a war against the USSR. G.K. Zhukov immediately reported this to I.V. Stalin and People's Commissar of Defense Marshal S.K. Tymoshenko. Stalin summoned Timoshenko and Zhukov to the Kremlin and, after an exchange of views, ordered a report on the draft directive prepared by the General Staff on bringing the troops of the western border districts to combat readiness. Only late in the evening after receiving the encryption of one of the residents Soviet intelligence, who reported that the coming night there would be a decision, this decision was war, adding another point to the draft directive read to him that the troops should under no circumstances succumb to possible provocations, Stalin allowed it to be sent to the districts.
The main meaning of this document was that it warned the Leningrad, Baltic, Western, Kiev and Odessa military districts about a possible attack by the aggressor on June 22-23 and demanded “to be in full combat readiness to meet a sudden attack by the Germans or their allies.” On the night of June 22, the districts were ordered to secretly occupy fortified areas on the border, by dawn to disperse all aviation to field airfields and camouflage it, to keep troops dispersed, to bring air defense to combat readiness without additionally raising assigned personnel, and to prepare cities and objects for darkening . Directive No. 1 categorically prohibited holding any other events without special permission.
The transmission of this document ended only at half past one in the morning, and the entire long journey from the General Staff to the districts, and then to the armies, corps and divisions as a whole took more than four hours of precious time.
Order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 1 of June 22, 1941 TsAMO.F. 208.Op. 2513.D.71.L.69.
At dawn on June 22, at 3:15 a.m. (Moscow time), thousands of guns and mortars of the German army opened fire on border outposts and the location of Soviet troops. German planes rushed to bomb important targets along the entire border strip - from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea. Many cities were subjected to air raids. To achieve surprise, the bombers flew over the Soviet border in all sectors simultaneously. The first strikes fell precisely on the bases of the latest types of Soviet aircraft, control posts, ports, warehouses, and railway junctions. Massive enemy air strikes disrupted the organized exit of the first echelon of border districts to the state border. Aviation, concentrated at permanent airfields, suffered irreparable losses: on the first day of the war, 1,200 Soviet aircraft were destroyed, most of them not even having time to take off. However, contrary to this, in the first 24 hours the Soviet Air Force flew about 6 thousand sorties and destroyed over 200 German aircraft in air battles.
The first reports of the invasion of German troops into Soviet territory came from border guards. In Moscow, at the General Staff, information about the flight of enemy aircraft across the western border of the USSR was received at 3:07 am. At about 4 o'clock in the morning, Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army G.K. Zhukov called I.V. Stalin and reported what had happened. At the same time, already in open text, the General Staff informed the headquarters of military districts, armies and formations about the German attack.
Upon learning of the attack, I.V. Stalin convened senior military, party and government officials for a meeting. At 5:45 a.m. S.K. arrived in his office. Timoshenko, G.K. Zhukov, V.M. Molotov, L.P. Beria and L.Z. Mehlis. By 7:15 a.m., Directive No. 2 was developed, which, on behalf of the People's Commissar of Defense, demanded:
"1. The troops are to attack enemy forces with all their might and means and destroy them in areas where they have violated the Soviet border. Do not cross the border until further notice.
2. Using reconnaissance and combat aircraft to establish the concentration areas of enemy aircraft and the grouping of their ground forces. Using powerful strikes from bomber and attack aircraft, destroy aircraft at enemy airfields and bomb the main groupings of his ground forces. Air strikes should be carried out to a depth of 100-150 km on German territory. Bomb Koenigsberg and Memel. Do not carry out raids on the territory of Finland and Romania until special instructions are given.”
The prohibition to cross the border, in addition to limiting the depth of air strikes, indicates that Stalin still did not believe that a “big war” had begun. Only by noon, members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks - Molotov, Malenkov, Voroshilov, Beria - prepared the text of a statement by the Soviet government, which Molotov made on the radio at 12:15 p.m.
Radio speech by the Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars
and People's Commissioner for Foreign Affairs
Molotova V.M. dated June 22, 1941 TsAMO. F. 135, Op. 12798. D. 1. L.1.
At the meeting in the Kremlin, the most important decisions were made, which laid the foundation for turning the entire country into a single military camp. They were formalized as decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR: on the mobilization of those liable for military service in all military districts, with the exception of Central Asian and Transbaikal, as well as Far East, where the Far Eastern Front existed since 1938; on the introduction of martial law in most parts European territory USSR - from the Arkhangelsk region to the Krasnodar region.
Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on martial law
and on approval of the Regulations on Military Tribunals
dated June 22, 1941 TsAMO. F. 135, Op. 12798. D. 1. L.2.
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on mobilization by military districts.
Reports of the Main Command of the Red Army for June 22-23, 1941.
TsAMO. F. 135, Op. 12798. D. 1. L.3.
On the morning of the same day, First Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (SNK) of the USSR N.A. Voznesensky, having gathered the people's commissars responsible for the main industries, gave orders provided for by the mobilization plans. Then no one even thought that the outbreak of war would very soon ruin everything planned, that it would be necessary to urgently evacuate industrial enterprises to the east and create there, essentially anew, a military industry.
The majority of the population learned about the beginning of the war from Molotov’s speech on the radio. This unexpected news deeply shocked people and caused concern for the fate of the Motherland. The normal course of life was suddenly disrupted, not only were plans for the future upset, but there was a real danger to the lives of family and friends. At the direction of Soviet and party bodies, rallies and meetings were held at enterprises, institutions, and collective farms. The speakers condemned the German attack on the USSR and expressed their readiness to defend the Fatherland. Many immediately applied for voluntary enlistment in the army and asked to be immediately sent to the front.
The German attack on the USSR was not only a new stage in the life of the Soviet people, to one degree or another it affected the peoples of other countries, especially those who were soon to become its main allies or opponents.
The government and people of Great Britain immediately breathed a sigh of relief: the war in the east, according to at least, for some time, will push back the German invasion of the British Isles. So, Germany has another, and quite serious, enemy; this would inevitably weaken it, and therefore, the British reasoned, the USSR should immediately be considered as its ally in the fight against the aggressor. This is precisely what Prime Minister Churchill expressed when he spoke on the radio on the evening of June 22 regarding another German attack. “Any person or state that fights against Nazism,” he said, “will receive our help... This is our policy, this is our statement. It follows that we will provide Russia and the Russian people with all the help we can... Hitler wants to destroy the Russian state because, if successful, he hopes to recall the main forces of his army and air force from the east and throw them at our island.”
The US leadership made an official statement on June 23. On behalf of the government, it was read out by Acting Secretary of State S. Welles. The statement emphasized that any rallying of forces against Hitlerism, regardless of their origin, would hasten the fall of the German leaders, and Hitler’s army now represented the main danger to the American continent. The next day, President Roosevelt said at a press conference that the United States was pleased to welcome another opponent of Nazism and intended to provide assistance to the Soviet Union.
About the beginning new war The population of Germany learned from the Fuhrer’s address to the people, which on June 22 at 5:30 a.m. was read on the radio by Propaganda Minister J. Goebbels. Following him, Foreign Minister Ribbentrop spoke with a special memorandum, which listed the accusations against the Soviet Union. It goes without saying that Germany, as in its previous aggressive actions, placed all the blame for starting the war on the USSR. In his address to the people, Hitler did not forget to mention the “conspiracy of Jews and democrats, Bolsheviks and reactionaries” against the Reich, the concentration on the borders of 160 Soviet divisions, which allegedly threatened not only Germany, but also Finland and Romania for many weeks. All this, they say, forced the Fuhrer to undertake an “act of self-defense” in order to secure the country and “save European civilization and culture.”
The extreme complexity of the rapidly changing situation, the high mobility and maneuverability of military operations, the stunning power of the first strikes of the Wehrmacht showed that the Soviet military-political leadership did not have effective system troop control. As previously planned, the leadership of the troops was carried out by the People's Commissar of Defense, Marshal Timoshenko. However, without Stalin he could not solve practically any issue.
On June 23, 1941, the Headquarters of the Main Command of the Armed Forces of the USSR was created, consisting of: People's Commissar of Defense Marshal Timoshenko (chairman), Chief of the General Staff Zhukov, Stalin, Molotov, Marshal Voroshilov, Marshal Budyonny and People's Commissar of the Navy Admiral Kuznetsov.
At Headquarters, an institute of permanent advisers to Headquarters was organized consisting of Marshal Kulik, Marshal Shaposhnikov, Meretskov, Chief of the Air Force Zhigarev, Vatutin, Chief of Air Defense (Air Defense) Voronov, Mikoyan, Kaganovich, Beria, Voznesensky, Zhdanov, Malenkov, Mehlis.
This composition allowed the Headquarters to quickly solve all tasks related to the leadership of the armed struggle. However, there were two commanders-in-chief: Timoshenko - the legal one, who, without Stalin’s sanction, did not have the right to give orders to the army in the field, and Stalin - the actual one. This not only complicated command and control of troops, but also led to belated decisions in the rapidly changing situation at the front.
Events in the strip Western Front
From the first day of the war, the most alarming situation arose in Belarus, where the Wehrmacht delivered the main blow with its most powerful formation - the troops of Army Group Center under the command of Field Marshal Bock. But the Western Front that opposed it (commander General D.G. Pavlov, member of the Military Council, corps commissar A.F. Fominykh, chief of staff, General V.E. Klimovskikh) had considerable forces (Table 1).
Table 1
The balance of forces in the Western Front at the beginning of the war
|
Strengths and means |
Western Front * |
Army Group "Center" (without 3 tgr)** |
Ratio |
|
Personnel, thousand people |
|||
|
Tanks, units |
|||
|
Combat aircraft, units |
*Only working equipment is taken into account.
** Until June 25, the 3rd Tank Group (tgr) operated in the North-Western Front.
In general, the Western Front was slightly inferior to the enemy in guns and combat aircraft, but significantly superior to it in tanks. Unfortunately, the first echelon of the covering armies was planned to have only 13 rifle divisions, while the enemy concentrated 28 divisions in the first echelon, including 4 tank divisions.
Events in the Western Front unfolded in the most tragic way. Even during the artillery preparation, the Germans captured bridges across the Western Bug, including in the Brest area. The assault groups were the first to cross the border with the task of literally capturing the border outposts within half an hour. However, the enemy miscalculated: there was not a single border post that would not offer him stubborn resistance. The border guards fought to the death. The Germans had to bring the main forces of the divisions into battle.
Fierce fighting broke out in the skies over the border areas. The front pilots fought a fierce battle, trying to wrest the initiative from the enemy and prevent him from seizing air superiority. However, this task turned out to be impossible. Indeed, on the very first day of the war, the Western Front lost 738 combat vehicles, which amounted to almost 40% of the aircraft fleet. In addition, the enemy pilots had a clear advantage in both skill and quality of equipment.
The belated exit to meet the advancing enemy forced the Soviet troops to enter the battle on the move, in parts. They failed to reach the prepared lines in the directions of the aggressor’s attacks, which means they did not succeed in creating a continuous defense front. Having encountered resistance, the enemy quickly bypassed the Soviet units, attacked them from the flanks and rear, and tried to advance their tank divisions as far in depth as possible. The situation was aggravated by sabotage groups dropped by parachute, as well as machine gunners on motorcycles who rushed to the rear, knocking out communication lines, capturing bridges, airfields, and other military installations. Small groups of motorcyclists fired indiscriminately from machine guns to create the appearance of encirclement among the defenders. With ignorance of the general situation and loss of control, their actions disrupted the stability of the defense of the Soviet troops, causing panic.
Many rifle divisions of the first echelon of armies were dismembered from the very first hours, some found themselves surrounded. Communication with them was interrupted. By 7 o'clock in the morning, the headquarters of the Western Front had no wire communication even with the armies.
When the front headquarters received the directive of People's Commissar No. 2, the rifle divisions were already drawn into battle. Although the mechanized corps began to advance to the border, but due to their great distance from the enemy’s breakthrough areas, communication breakdowns, and German air supremacy, they “attacked the enemy with all their might” and destroyed his strike forces, as required by the order of the People’s Commissar, Soviet troops, Naturally, they couldn't.
A serious threat arose on the northern front of the Bialystok ledge, where the 3rd Army of General V.I. operated. Kuznetsova. Continuously bombarding the army headquarters located in Grodno, the enemy disabled all communications centers by mid-day. It was not possible to contact either the front headquarters or the neighbors for the whole day. Meanwhile, the infantry divisions of the 9th German Army had already managed to push back Kuznetsov’s right-flank formations to the southeast.
On the southern face of the ledge, where the 4th Army led by General A.A. took the battle. Korobkov, the enemy had three to four times superiority. Management was broken here too. Not having time to occupy the planned defense lines, the army's rifle formations began to retreat under the attacks of Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group.
Their withdrawal put the formations of the 10th Army, located in the center of the Bialystok bulge, in a difficult position. From the very beginning of the invasion, the front headquarters had no contact with her. Pavlov had no choice but to send his deputy General I.V. by plane to Bialystok, to the headquarters of the 10th Army. Boldin with the task of establishing the position of the troops and organizing a counterattack in the Grodno direction, which was provided for in the wartime plan. During the entire first day of the war, the command of the Western Front did not receive a single report from the armies.
And Moscow did not receive objective information about the situation at the fronts throughout the entire day, although it sent its representatives there in the afternoon. To clarify the situation and help General Pavlov, Stalin sent the most large group. It included Deputy People's Commissar of Defense Marshals B.M. Shaposhnikov and G.I. Kulik, as well as Deputy Chief of the General Staff General V.D. Sokolovsky and the head of the operational department, General G.K. Malandin. However, it was not possible to identify the actual situation both on this front and on others, and to understand the situation. This is evidenced by the operational report of the General Staff for 22 hours. “German regular troops,” it stated, “during June 22, fought with the USSR border units, having little success in certain directions. In the afternoon, with the approach of the advanced units of the field troops of the Red Army, attacks by German troops along the predominant length of our border were repulsed with losses to the enemy.”
Based on reports from the fronts, the People's Commissar of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff concluded that most of the fighting was taking place near the border, and the largest enemy groups were the Suwalki and Lublin groups, and the further course of the battles would depend on their actions. The powerful German group that was striking from the Brest area was clearly underestimated by the Soviet High Command because of the disorienting reports of the Western Front headquarters; however, it was also not oriented in the general air situation.
Believing that there were quite enough forces for a retaliatory strike, and guided by the pre-war plan in case of war with Germany, the People's Commissar of Defense signed Directive No. 3 at 21:15. The troops of the Western Front were ordered to cooperate with the North-Western Front, restraining the enemy in the Warsaw direction, with powerful counterattacks to the flank and rear, destroy his Suwalki group and, by the end of June 24, capture the Suwalki area. The next day, together with the troops of other fronts, it was necessary to go on the offensive and defeat the strike force of Army Group Center. Such a plan not only did not correspond to the true situation, but also prevented the troops of the Western Front from creating a defense. Pavlov and his headquarters, having received Directive No. 3 late at night, began preparations for its implementation, although it was simply unthinkable to do this in the hours remaining before dawn, and even in the absence of communication with the armies.
On the morning of June 23, the commander decided to launch a counterattack in the direction of Grodno, Suwalki with the forces of the 6th and 11th mechanized corps, as well as the 36th cavalry division, uniting them into a group under the command of his deputy, General Boldin. Units of the 3rd Army were also to participate in the planned counterattack. Note that this decision was absolutely unrealistic: the formations of the 3rd Army operating in the direction of the counterattack continued to retreat, the 11th mechanized corps fought intense battles on a wide front, the 6th mechanized corps was too far from the counterattack area - 60-70 km, and further from Grodno there was the 36th Cavalry Division.
General Boldin had at his disposal only part of the forces of the 6th Mechanized Corps of General M.G. Khatskilevich and then only by noon on June 23. Considered rightfully the most equipped in the Red Army, this corps had 1022 tanks, including 352 KB and T-34. However, during the advance, being under constant attacks from enemy aircraft, he suffered significant losses.
Fierce fighting broke out near Grodno. After the capture of Grodno by the enemy, the 11th mechanized corps of General D.K. was introduced into the battle. Mostovenko. Before the war, it consisted of only 243 tanks. In addition, in the first two days of fighting, the corps suffered significant losses. However, on June 24, formations of Boldin’s group, with the support of front-line aviation and the 3rd Long-Range Bomber Corps of Colonel N.S. The Skripkos managed to achieve some success.
Against the Soviet troops delivering a counterattack, Field Marshal Bock sent the main forces of the 2nd air fleet. German planes continuously hovered over the battlefield, depriving units of the 3rd Army and the Boldin group of the possibility of any maneuver. Heavy fighting near Grodno continued the next day, but the strength of the tankers quickly dried up. The enemy brought up anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, as well as an infantry division. Nevertheless, Boldin’s group managed to pin down significant enemy forces to the Grodno region for two days and inflict significant damage on them. The counterattack eased, although not for long, the position of the 3rd Army. But they failed to wrest the initiative from the enemy, and the mechanized corps suffered huge losses.
Hoth's Panzer Group deeply encircled Kuznetsov's 3rd Army from the north, and formations of General Strauss's 9th Army attacked it from the front. Already on June 23, the 3rd Army had to retreat beyond the Neman to avoid encirclement.
The 4th Army of General A.A. found itself in extremely difficult conditions. Korobkova. Guderian's tank group and the main forces of the 4th Army, advancing from Brest in the northeast direction, cut the troops of this army into two unequal parts. Fulfilling the front directive, Korobkov was also preparing a counterattack. However, he managed to assemble only parts of the tank divisions of the 14th mechanized corps of General S.I. Oborin, and the remnants of the 6th and 42nd rifle divisions. And they were opposed by almost two tank and two infantry divisions of the enemy. The forces turned out to be too unequal. The 14th Mechanized Corps suffered heavy losses. The rifle divisions were also bled dry. The oncoming battle ended in favor of the enemy.
The gap with the troops of the North-Western Front on the right wing, where the Hoth tank group rushed, and the difficult situation on the left wing, where the 4th Army was retreating, created a threat of deep coverage of the entire Bialystok group from both the north and the south.
General Pavlov decided to strengthen the 4th Army with the 47th Rifle Corps. At the same time, the 17th Mechanized Corps (63 tanks in total, divisions with 20-25 guns and 4 anti-aircraft guns each) was transferred from the front reserve to the river. Sharu to create a defense there. However, they failed to create a strong defense along the river. Enemy tank divisions crossed it and on June 25 approached Baranovichi.
The position of the troops on the Western Front became increasingly critical. Of particular concern was the northern wing, where an unprotected gap of 130 km had formed. The Hoth tank group, rushing into this gap, was removed from the command of the commander of the 9th Army by Field Marshal Bock. Having received freedom of action, Hoth sent one of his corps to Vilnius, and the other two to Minsk and bypassing the city from the north, in order to connect with the 2nd Panzer Group. The main forces of the 9th Army were turned to the south, and the 4th - to the north, in the direction of the confluence of the Shchara and Neman rivers, to dissect the surrounded group. The threat of complete disaster loomed over the troops of the Western Front.
General Pavlov saw a way out of the situation by delaying the advance of the 3rd Panzer Group of Hoth with reserve formations united by the command of the 13th Army; three divisions, the 21st Rifle Corps, the 50th Rifle Division and the retreating troops were transferred to the army ; and at the same time, with the forces of Boldin’s group, continue to launch a counterattack on Gotha’s flank.
Before the 13th Army of General P.M. Filatov to concentrate his forces, and most importantly, to put in order the troops retreating from the border, including the 5th Tank Division of the North-Western Front, as enemy tanks burst into the army headquarters. The Germans captured most vehicles, including those with encryption documents. The army command returned to its troops only on June 26.
The position of the troops on the Western Front continued to deteriorate. Marshal B.M. Shaposhnikov, who was at the front headquarters in Mogilev, turned to Headquarters with a request to immediately withdraw the troops. Moscow allowed the withdrawal. However, it is already too late.
For the withdrawal of the 3rd and 10th armies, deeply bypassed by the tank groups of Hoth and Guderian from the north and south, a corridor no more than 60 km wide remained. Advancing off-road (all roads were occupied by German troops), under continuous attacks from enemy aircraft, with an almost complete absence of vehicles, and in dire need of ammunition and fuel, the formations could not tear themselves away from the advancing enemy.
On June 25, Headquarters formed a group of reserve armies of the High Command, led by Marshal S.M. Budyonny as part of the 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd armies. Their formations, which began advancing on May 13, arrived from the North Caucasus, Oryol, Kharkov, Volga, Ural and Moscow military districts and concentrated in the rear of the Western Front. Marshal Budyonny received the task of starting to prepare a defensive line along the line Nevel, Mogilev and further along the Desna and Dnieper rivers to Kremenchug; at the same time “to be ready, on the special instructions of the High Command, to launch a counteroffensive.” However, on June 27, the Headquarters abandoned the idea of a counteroffensive and ordered Budyonny to urgently occupy and firmly defend the line along the Western Dvina and Dnieper rivers, from Kraslava to Loev, preventing the enemy from breaking through to Moscow. At the same time, the troops of the 16th Army, and from July 1, the 19th Army, which had arrived in Ukraine before the war, were rapidly transferred to the Smolensk region. All this meant that the Soviet command finally abandoned offensive plans and decided to switch to strategic defense, shifting the main efforts to the western direction.
On June 26, Hoth's tank divisions approached the Minsk fortified area. The next day, Guderian's advanced units reached the approaches to the capital of Belarus. Units of the 13th Army defended here. Fierce fighting began. At the same time, the city was bombed by German aircraft; fires started, water supply, sewerage, power lines, telephone communications failed, but most importantly, thousands of civilians died. However, the defenders of Minsk continued to resist.
The defense of Minsk is one of the brightest pages in the history of the Great Patriotic War. The forces were too unequal. The Soviet troops were in dire need of ammunition, and to transport them there was not enough transport or fuel; moreover, some of the warehouses had to be blown up, the rest were captured by the enemy. The enemy stubbornly rushed towards Minsk from the north and south. At 16:00 on June 28, units of the 20th Panzer Division of the Gotha Group, having broken the resistance of the 2nd Rifle Corps of General A.N. Ermakov, burst into Minsk from the north, and the next day the 18th Panzer Division from Guderian’s group rushed towards from the south. By evening, the German divisions united and closed the encirclement. Only the main forces of the 13th Army managed to retreat to the east. A day earlier, the infantry divisions of the 9th and 4th German armies linked up east of Bialystok, cutting off the retreat routes of the 3rd and 10th Soviet armies. The surrounded group of troops of the Western Front was cut into several parts.
Almost three dozen divisions fell into the cauldron. Deprived of centralized control and supplies, they, however, fought until July 8. On the internal front of the encirclement, Bock had to hold first 21 and then 25 divisions, which amounted to almost half of all the troops of Army Group Center. On the external front, only eight of its divisions continued to advance towards the Berezina, and even the 53rd Army Corps acted against the 75th Soviet Rifle Division.
Exhausted by continuous battles, difficult treks through forests and swamps, without food and rest, those surrounded were losing their last strength. The reports of Army Group Center reported that as of July 2, in the area of Bialystok and Volkovysk alone, 116 thousand people were captured, 1,505 guns, 1,964 tanks and armored vehicles, and 327 aircraft were destroyed or captured as trophies. The prisoners of war were kept in appalling conditions. They were located in rooms unequipped for living, often directly in the open air. Every day, hundreds of people died from exhaustion and epidemics. Those who were weakened were mercilessly destroyed.
Until September, the soldiers of the Western Front emerged from encirclement. At the end of the month towards the river. The remnants of the 13th Mechanized Corps, led by their commander, General P.N., left Sozh. Akhlyustin. 1,667 people, of which 103 were wounded, were brought out by the deputy front commander, General Boldin. Many who were unable to escape the encirclement began to fight the enemy in the ranks of partisans and underground fighters.
From the first days of the occupation, in areas where the enemy appeared, resistance from the masses began to arise. However, it developed slowly, especially in western regions countries, including Western Belarus, whose population was merged into the USSR only a year before the start of the war. At first, mainly sabotage and reconnaissance groups sent from behind the front line, many military personnel who were surrounded, and partly local residents began to operate here.
On June 29, on the 8th day of the war, a directive was adopted by the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks to party and Soviet organizations in the front-line regions, which, along with other measures to transform the country into a single military camp to provide nationwide resistance to the enemy, contained instructions on the deployment of the underground And partisan movement, organizational forms, goals and objectives of the struggle were determined.
Of great importance for the organization of partisan warfare behind enemy lines was the appeal of the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army dated July 15, 1941, “To military personnel fighting behind enemy lines,” issued in the form of a leaflet and scattered from airplanes over the occupied territory. In it, the activities of Soviet soldiers behind the front line were assessed as a continuation of their combat mission. The military personnel were encouraged to switch to guerrilla warfare methods. This leaflet-appeal helped many encircled people find their place in the common struggle against the invaders.
The fighting was already far from the border, and the garrison Brest Fortress was still fighting. After the withdrawal of the main forces, part of the units of the 42nd and 6th Infantry Divisions, the 33rd Engineer Regiment and the border outpost remained here. The advancing units of the 45th and 31st Infantry Divisions were supported by siege artillery fire. Having barely recovered from the first stunning blow, the garrison took up the defense of the citadel with the intention of fighting to the end. Started heroic defense Brest. Guderian recalled after the war: “The garrison of the important Brest fortress defended itself especially fiercely, holding out for several days, blocking the railway and highways leading through the Western Bug to Mukhavets.” True, for some reason the general forgot that the garrison held out not for several days, but for about a month - until July 20.
By the end of June 1941, the enemy had advanced to a depth of 400 km. The troops of the Western Front suffered heavy losses in men, equipment and weapons. The front air forces lost 1,483 aircraft. The formations that remained outside the encirclement fought in a zone over 400 km wide. The front was in dire need of replenishment, but it could not even get what it was supposed to be fully equipped according to the pre-war plan in case of mobilization. It was disrupted as a result of the rapid advance of the enemy, the extremely limited number of vehicles, disruption of railway transport and general organizational confusion.
By the end of June, the Soviet military-political leadership realized that to repel aggression it was necessary to mobilize all the country's forces. For this purpose, an emergency body was created on June 30 - State Committee Defense (GKO) headed by Stalin. All power in the state was concentrated in the hands of the State Defense Committee. His decisions and orders, which had the force of wartime laws, were subject to unquestioning implementation by all citizens, party, Soviet, Komsomol and military bodies. Each GKO member was responsible for a specific area (ammunition, aircraft, tanks, food, transport, etc.).
The country continued to mobilize military personnel from 1905 to 1918. birth into the army and navy. In the first eight days of the war, 5.3 million people were drafted into the armed forces. From National economy 234 thousand vehicles and 31.5 thousand tractors were sent to the front.
Headquarters continued to take emergency measures to restore the strategic front in Belarus. Army General D.G. Pavlov was removed from command of the Western Front and tried by a military tribunal. Marshal S.K. was appointed the new commander. Tymoshenko. On July 1, the Headquarters transferred the 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd armies to the Western Front. Essentially, a new defense front was being formed. The 16th Army was concentrated in the rear of the front, in the Smolensk region. The transformed Western Front now consisted of 48 divisions and 4 mechanized corps, but by July 1, the defense on the line of the Western Dvina and the Dnieper was occupied by only 10 divisions.
The resistance of Soviet troops encircled near Minsk forced the command of Army Group Center to disperse its formations to a depth of 400 km, with the field armies falling far behind the tank groups. In order to more clearly coordinate the efforts of the 2nd and 3rd tank groups to capture the Smolensk region and with the further offensive on Moscow, Field Marshal Bock on July 3 united both groups into the 4th Panzer Army, led by the command of the 4th Field Army Kluge. The infantry formations of the former 4th Army were united by the control of the 2nd Army (it was in the reserve of the High Command of the Wehrmacht Ground Forces - OKH), under the command of General Weichs, to eliminate the Soviet units surrounded west of Minsk.
Meanwhile, fierce battles took place between the Berezina, Western Dvina and Dnieper rivers. By July 10, enemy troops crossed the Western Dvina and reached Vitebsk and the Dnieper south and north of Mogilev.
One of the first strategic defensive operations of the Red Army, which later received the name Belarusian, was completed. In 18 days, the troops of the Western Front suffered a crushing defeat. Of the 44 divisions that were originally part of the front, 24 were completely lost, the remaining 20 lost from 30 to 90% of their strength. Total losses - 417,790 people, including irrecoverable - 341,073 people, 4,799 tanks, 9,427 guns and mortars and 1,777 combat aircraft. Leaving almost all of Belarus, the troops retreated to a depth of 600 km.
Defense of the Northwestern Front and the Baltic Fleet
With the outbreak of the war, the Baltic states also became the scene of dramatic events. The Northwestern Front defending here under the command of General F.I. Kuznetsov was significantly weaker than the fronts operating in Belarus and Ukraine, since it had only three armies and two mechanized corps. Meanwhile, the aggressor concentrated large forces in this direction (Table 2). In the first attack against the North-Western Front, not only Army Group North under the command of Field Marshal W. Leeb took part, but also the 3rd Panzer Group from the neighboring Army Group Center, i.e. Kuznetsov’s troops were opposed by two German tank groups out of four.
table 2
The balance of forces in the Northwestern Front at the beginning of the war
|
Strengths and means |
Northwestern |
Army group |
Ratio |
|
"North" and 3 Tgr |
|||
|
Personnel, thousand people |
|||
|
Guns and mortars (without 50 mm), units. |
|||
|
Tanks,** units |
|||
|
Combat aircraft**, units |
* Without Baltic Fleet forces
**Only serviceable ones are taken into account
Already on the first day of the war, the defenses of the Northwestern Front were split. Tank wedges made significant holes in it.
Due to the systematic disruption of communications, the front and army commanders were unable to organize command and control of the troops. The troops suffered heavy losses, but could not stop the advance of the tank groups. In the zone of the 11th Army, the 3rd Tank Group rushed to the bridges across the Neman. And although specially designated demolition teams were on duty here, enemy tanks also slipped across the bridges along with the retreating army units. “For the 3rd Panzer Group,” wrote its commander, General Hoth, “it was a great surprise that all three bridges across the Neman, the capture of which was part of the group’s task, were captured intact.”
Having crossed the Neman, Hoth's tanks rushed towards Vilnius, but encountered desperate resistance. By the end of the day, the formations of the 11th Army were dismembered into pieces. A large gap opened up between the North-Western and Western fronts, and there was nothing to close it.
During the first day, German formations penetrated to a depth of 60 km. While the enemy's deep penetration required vigorous response measures, both the front command and the army command showed obvious passivity.
Order of the Military Council of the Baltic Special Military District No. 05 of June 22, 1941
TsAMO. F. 221. Op. 1362. D. 5, volume 1. L. 2.
On the evening of June 22, General Kuznetsov received directive from People's Commissar No. 3, in which the front was ordered: “firmly holding the coast Baltic Sea, deliver a powerful counterattack from the Kaunas area to the flank and rear of the enemy’s Suwalki group, destroy it in cooperation with the Western Front and, by the end of June 24, capture the Suwalki area.”
However, even before receiving the directive, at 10 o’clock in the morning, General Kuznetsov gave the order to the armies and mechanized corps to launch a counterattack against the Tilsit enemy group. Therefore, the troops carried out his order, and the commander decided not to change tasks, essentially failing to fulfill the requirements of Directive No. 3.
Six divisions were to attack Gepner's tank group and restore the situation along the border. Against 123 thousand soldiers and officers, 1800 guns and mortars, more than 600 enemy tanks, Kuznetsov planned to field about 56 thousand people, 980 guns and mortars, 950 tanks (mostly light ones).
However, a simultaneous strike did not work: after a long march, the formations entered the battle on the move, most often in scattered groups. With an acute shortage of ammunition, artillery did not provide reliable support to the tanks. The task remained unfinished. The divisions, having lost a significant part of their tanks, withdrew from the battle on the night of June 24.
At dawn on June 24, the fighting flared up with renewed vigor. On both sides, more than 1 thousand tanks, about 2,700 guns and mortars, and more than 175 thousand soldiers and officers took part in them. Parts of the right flank of Reinhardt's 41st Motorized Corps were forced to go on the defensive.
An attempt to resume the counterattack the next day came down to hasty, poorly coordinated actions, moreover, on a wide front, with poor management organization. Instead of launching concentrated attacks, corps commanders were ordered to act in “small columns in order to disperse enemy aircraft.” The tank formations suffered huge losses: only 35 tanks remained in both divisions of the 12th Mechanized Corps.
If, as a result of the counterattack, it was possible to delay for some time the advance of Reinhardt’s 41st motorized corps in the Siauliai direction, then Manstein’s 56th corps, bypassing the counterattacking formations from the south, was able to make a rapid push towards Daugavpils.
The position of the 11th Army was tragic: it found itself squeezed between the 3rd and 4th tank groups. The main forces of the 8th Army were more fortunate: they remained aloof from the enemy's armored fist and retreated north in a relatively orderly manner. Cooperation between the armies was weak. The supply of ammunition and fuel has almost completely stopped. The situation required decisive measures to eliminate the enemy breakthrough. However, having no reserves and having lost control, the front command could not prevent the retreat and restore the situation.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht ground forces, Field Marshal Brauchitsch, ordered the 3rd Panzer Group Hoth to turn southeast, towards Minsk, as provided for by the Barbarossa plan, so from June 25 it acted against the Western Front. Taking advantage of the gap between the 8th and 11th Armies, the 56th Motorized Corps of the 4th Tank Group rushed to the Western Dvina, cutting off the rear communications of the 11th Army.
The Military Council of the Northwestern Front considered it expedient to withdraw formations of the 8th and 11th armies to the line along the Venta, Shushva, and Viliya rivers. However, on the night of June 25, he made a new decision: to launch a counterattack with the 16th Rifle Corps of General M.M. Ivanov to return Kaunas, although the logic of events required the withdrawal of units beyond the river. Vilia. Initially, General Ivanov's corps had partial success, but he was unable to complete the task, and the divisions retreated to their original position.
In general, the front troops did not complete the main task - to detain the aggressor in the border zone. Attempts to eliminate deep penetrations of German tanks in the most important directions also failed. The troops of the Northwestern Front were unable to hold on to intermediate lines and rolled back further and further to the northeast.
Military operations in the northwestern direction unfolded not only on land, but also at sea, where the Baltic Fleet was subjected to attacks from enemy aircraft from the very first days of the war. By order of the fleet commander, Vice Admiral V.F. Tributa, on the night of June 23, the installation of minefields began at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland, and the next day the same barriers began to be created in the Irben Strait. Increased mining of fairways and approaches to bases, as well as the dominance of enemy aviation and the threat to bases from land, fettered the forces of the Baltic Fleet. Dominance at sea passed to the enemy for a long time.
During the general withdrawal of the troops of the North-Western Front, the enemy met stubborn resistance at the walls of Liepaja. The German command planned to capture this city no later than the second day of the war. Against a small garrison consisting of units of the 67th Infantry Division of General N.A. Dedayev and the naval base of Captain 1st Rank M.S. Klevensky, the 291st Infantry Division operated with the support of tanks, artillery and Marine Corps. Only on June 24 did the Germans blockade the city from land and sea. The residents of Liepaja, led by the defense headquarters, fought alongside the troops. Only by order of the command of the North-Western Front on the night of June 27 and 28, the defenders left Liepaja and began to make their way to the east.
On June 25, the North-Western Front received the task of withdrawing troops and organizing defense along the Western Dvina, where the 21st Mechanized Corps of General D.D. was moving forward from the Headquarters reserve. Lelyushenko. During the withdrawal, the troops found themselves in a difficult situation: after an unsuccessful counterattack, the command of the 3rd Mechanized Corps, led by General A.V. Kurkin and the 2nd Tank Division, left without fuel, found themselves surrounded. According to the enemy, over 200 tanks, more than 150 guns, as well as several hundred trucks and cars were captured and destroyed here. From the 3rd Mechanized Corps, only one 84th Motorized Division remained, and the 12th Mechanized Corps, out of 750 tanks, lost 600.
The 11th Army found itself in a difficult position. Moving beyond the river Viliy was hampered by enemy aircraft, which were destroying the crossings. There was a threat of encirclement, and the transfer of troops to the other side progressed very slowly. Having not received help, General Morozov decided to retreat to the northeast, but only on June 27 it became clear that the enemy, who had captured Daugavpils the day before, had cut off this route as well. Only the eastern direction remained free, through forests and swamps to Polotsk, where, on June 30, the remnants of the army entered the strip of the neighboring Western Front.
Field Marshal Leeb's troops quickly advanced deep into the Baltic territory. Organized resistance was provided to them by the army of General P.P. Sobennikova. The 11th Army’s defense line remained uncovered, which Manstein immediately took advantage of, sending his 56th Motorized Corps along the shortest route to the Western Dvina.
In order to stabilize the situation, the troops of the Northwestern Front needed to gain a foothold on the line of the Western Dvina. Unfortunately, the 21st Mechanized Corps, which was supposed to defend here, had not yet reached the river. The formations of the 27th Army also failed to take up defensive positions in a timely manner. And the main goal of Army Group North at that moment was precisely the breakthrough to the Western Dvina with the direction of the main attack on Daugavpils and to the north.
On the morning of June 26, the German 8th Panzer Division approached Daugavpils and captured the bridge over the Western Dvina. The division rushed into the city, creating a very important bridgehead for the development of the offensive on Leningrad.
Southeast of Riga, on the night of June 29, the advance detachment of General Reinhardt's 41st Motorized Corps crossed the Western Dvina at Jekabpils on the move. And the next day, the advanced units of the 1st and 26th Army Corps of the 18th German Army broke into Riga and captured bridges across the river. However, a decisive counterattack by the 10th Rifle Corps of General I.I. Fadeev, the enemy was knocked out, which ensured the systematic withdrawal of the 8th Army through the city. On July 1, the Germans recaptured Riga.
Back on June 29, the Headquarters ordered the commander of the Northwestern Front, simultaneously with the organization of defense along the Western Dvina, to prepare and occupy the line along the river. Great, while relying on the fortified areas that existed there in Pskov and Ostrov. The 41st Rifle and 1st Mechanized Corps, as well as the 234th Rifle Division, moved there from the reserves of Headquarters and the Northern Front.
Instead of generals F.I. Kuznetsova and P.M. Klenov, on July 4, generals P.P. were appointed. Sobennikov and N.F. Vatutin.
On the morning of July 2, the enemy struck at the junction of the 8th and 27th armies and broke through in the direction of Ostrov and Pskov. The threat of an enemy breakthrough to Leningrad forced the command of the Northern Front to create the Luga Task Force to cover the southwestern approaches to the city on the Neva.
By the end of July 3, the enemy captured Gulbene in the rear of the 8th Army, depriving it of the opportunity to retreat to the river. Great. The army, which General F.S. had just taken command of. Ivanov, was forced to retreat north to Estonia. A gap opened between the 8th and 27th armies, where formations of the enemy's 4th Tank Group rushed. The next morning, the 1st Panzer Division reached the southern outskirts of the Island and crossed the river on the move. Great. Attempts to throw it away were unsuccessful. On July 6, the Germans completely captured Ostrov and rushed north to Pskov. Three days later, the Germans broke into the city. There was a real threat of a German breakthrough to Leningrad.
In general, the first defensive operation of the North-Western Front ended in failure. During three weeks of fighting, his troops retreated to a depth of 450 km, leaving almost the entire Baltic region. The front lost over 90 thousand people, more than 1 thousand tanks, 4 thousand guns and mortars and more than 1 thousand aircraft. His command failed to create a defense capable of repelling the attack of the aggressor. The troops were unable to gain a foothold even on such barriers as advantageous for defense as pp. Neman, Western Dvina, Velikaya.
The situation at sea was also difficult. With the loss of bases in Liepaja and Riga, the ships moved to Tallinn, where they were subjected to constant severe bombing by German aircraft. And at the beginning of July, the fleet had to come to grips with organizing the defense of Leningrad from the sea.
Border battles in the area of the Southwestern and Southern fronts. Actions of the Black Sea Fleet
Southwestern Front, commanded by General M.P. Kirponos was the most powerful group of Soviet troops concentrated near the borders of the USSR. The German Army Group South, under the command of Field Marshal K. Rundstedt, was tasked with destroying Soviet troops in Right Bank Ukraine, preventing them from retreating beyond the Dnieper.
The Southwestern Front had enough strength to give the aggressor a worthy rebuff (Table 3). However, the very first day of the war showed that these opportunities could not be realized. From the first minute, formations, headquarters, and airfields were subjected to powerful air strikes, and the air force was never able to provide adequate counteraction.
General M.P. Kirponos decided to launch two strikes on the flanks of the main enemy group - from the north and south, each with the help of three mechanized corps, which had a total of 3.7 thousand tanks. General Zhukov, who arrived at front headquarters on the evening of June 22, approved his decision. Organizing a frontal counterattack took three days, and before that only part of the forces of the 15th and 22nd mechanized corps managed to advance and attack the enemy, and the only forward detachment of the 10th tank division operated in the 15th mechanized corps. An oncoming battle broke out east of Vladimir-Volynsky. The enemy was detained, but soon he rushed forward again, forcing the counterattackers to retreat across the river. Styr, in the Lutsk region.
The 4th and 8th mechanized corps could play a decisive role in defeating the enemy. They had over 1.7 thousand tanks. The 4th Mechanized Corps was considered especially strong: it had 414 vehicles at its disposal only with new KB and T-34 tanks. However, the mechanized corps was fragmented into parts. His divisions operated in different directions. By the morning of June 26, the 8th Mechanized Corps of General D.I. Ryabysheva went to Brody. Of the 858 tanks, barely half remained; the other half fell behind on the almost 500-kilometer route due to various breakdowns.
At the same time, mechanized corps were being concentrated to launch a counterattack from the north. The strongest in the 22nd Mechanized Corps, the 41st Tank Division was partly assigned to rifle divisions and did not take part in the frontal counterattack. The 9th and 19th mechanized corps, which advanced from the east, had to cover 200-250 km. Both of them numbered only 564 tanks, and even those were of old types.
And at this time, the rifle formations fought stubborn battles, trying to detain the enemy. On June 24, in the 5th Army zone, the enemy managed to encircle two rifle divisions. A 70-kilometer gap was formed in the defense, using which German tank divisions rushed to Lutsk and Berestechko. The surrounded Soviet troops defended stubbornly. For six days the units fought their way to their own. Only about 200 people remained from the two rifle regiments of the division that were surrounded. Exhausted from continuous fighting, they retained their battle flags.
The soldiers of the 6th Army also defended themselves staunchly in the Rava-Russian direction. Field Marshal Rundstedt assumed that after the capture of Rava-Russkaya, the 14th Motorized Corps would be introduced into the battle. According to his calculations, this should have happened by the morning of June 23. But all of Rundstedt’s plans were thwarted by the 41st Division. Despite the fierce fire of German artillery and massive bomber strikes, the division's regiments, together with the battalions of the Rava-Russian fortified area and the 91st border detachment, held back the advance of the 4th Army Corps of the 17th Army for five days. The division left its positions only on the orders of the army commander. On the night of June 27, she retreated to the line east of Rava-Russkaya.
The 12th Army of General P.G. defended on the left wing of the Southwestern Front. Monday. After the transfer of the 17th Rifle and 16th Mechanized Corps to the newly created Southern Front, the only rifle corps left was the 13th. It covered a 300-kilometer section of the border with Hungary. For now there was silence here.
Intense battles took place not only on the ground, but also in the air. True, the front’s fighter aircraft were unable to reliably cover the airfields. In the first three days of the war alone, the enemy destroyed 234 aircraft on the ground. Bomber aircraft were also used ineffectively. With 587 bombers, front-line aviation made only 463 sorties during this time. The reason is unstable communications, lack of proper interaction between combined arms and aviation headquarters, and remoteness of airfields.
On the evening of June 25, the 6th Army of Field Marshal W. Reichenau crossed the river on the 70-kilometer stretch from Lutsk to Berestechko. Styr, and the 11th Panzer Division, breaking away from the main forces by almost 40 km, captured Dubno.
On June 26, the 8th mechanized corps entered the battle from the south, and the 9th and 19th from the northeast. General Ryabyshev's corps advanced from Broda to Berestechko by 10-12 km. However, his success could not be supported by other connections. The main reason for the uncoordinated actions of the mechanized corps was the lack of unified leadership of this powerful tank group on the part of the front command.
The actions of the 9th and 19th mechanized corps turned out to be more successful, despite the smaller forces. They were included in the 5th Army. There was also an operational group headed by the first deputy front commander, General F.S. Ivanov, who coordinated the actions of the formations.
On the afternoon of June 26, the corps finally attacked the enemy. Overcoming enemy resistance, the corps, commanded by General N.V. Feklenko, together with the rifle division, reached Dubno by the end of the day. Operating to the right was the 9th Mechanized Corps of General K.K. Rokossovsky turned around along the Rovno-Lutsk road and entered into battle with the enemy’s 14th Tank Division. He stopped her, but could not advance a single step.
An oncoming tank battle unfolded near Berestechko, Lutsk and Dubno - the largest since the beginning of World War II in terms of the number of forces participating in it. About 2 thousand tanks collided on both sides in an area up to 70 km wide. Hundreds of planes were fighting fiercely in the sky.
The counterattack of the Southwestern Front delayed the advance of Kleist’s group for some time. In general, Kirponos himself believed that the border battle was lost. The deep penetration of German tanks in the Dubno area created the danger of a strike to the rear of the armies that continued to fight in the Lvov salient. The front's Military Council decided to withdraw the troops to a new defensive line, which it reported to Headquarters, and, without waiting for Moscow's consent, gave the armies the appropriate orders. However, the Headquarters did not approve of Kirponos’ decision and demanded that counterattacks be resumed. The commander had to cancel his own orders that had just been given, which the troops had already begun to carry out.
The 8th and 15th mechanized corps barely had time to leave the battle, and then a new order came: stop the retreat and strike in a north-eastern direction, to the rear of the divisions of the enemy’s 1st tank group. There was not enough time to organize the strike.
Despite all these difficulties, the battle flared up with renewed vigor. The troops in stubborn battles in the Dubno area, near Lutsk and Rivne until June 30 pinned down the 6th Army and the enemy tank group. German troops were forced to maneuver in search of weak points. The 11th Tank Division, covering itself with part of its forces from the attack of the 19th Mechanized Corps, turned to the southeast and captured Ostrog. But it was still stopped by a group of troops created on the initiative of the commander of the 16th Army, General M.F. Lukina. These were mainly army units that did not have time to embark on trains to be sent to Smolensk, as well as the 213th motorized division of Colonel V.M. Osminsky from the 19th Mechanized Corps, whose infantry, lacking transport, lagged behind the tanks.
The soldiers of the 8th Mechanized Corps tried with all their might to break out of the encirclement, first through Dubno, and then in a northern direction. The lack of communication did not allow us to coordinate our own actions with neighboring connections. The mechanized corps suffered heavy losses: many soldiers died, including the commander of the 12th Tank Division, General T.A. Mishanin.
The command of the Southwestern Front, fearing encirclement of the armies defending in the Lviv ledge, decided on the night of June 27 to begin a systematic retreat. By the end of June 30, Soviet troops, leaving Lvov, occupied a new line of defense, 30-40 km east of the city. On the same day, the vanguard battalions of the mobile corps of Hungary went on the offensive, which declared war on the USSR on June 27.
On June 30, Kirponos received the task: by July 9, using fortified areas on the state border of 1939, “to organize a stubborn defense with field troops, highlighting primarily artillery anti-tank weapons.”
Korostensky, Novograd-Volynsky and Letichevsky fortified areas, built back in the 1930s 50-100 km east of the old state border, were put on combat readiness with the beginning of the war and, reinforced with rifle units, could become a serious obstacle to the enemy. True, in the system of fortified areas there were gaps reaching 30-40 km.
In eight days, the front troops had to withdraw 200 km into the interior of the territory. Particular difficulties befell the 26th and 12th armies, which faced the longest journey, and with the constant threat of an enemy attack in the rear, from the north, by formations of the 17th Army and the 1st Tank Group.
To prevent the advance of the Kleist group and gain time to withdraw its troops, the 5th Army launched a counterattack on its flank from the north with the forces of two corps, which in previous battles had exhausted their forces to the limit: in the divisions of the 27th Rifle Corps there were about 1.5 thousand people, and the 22nd mechanized corps had only 153 tanks. There was not enough ammunition. The counterattack was prepared hastily, the attack was carried out on a hundred-kilometer front and at different times. However, the fact that the attack fell on the rear of the tank group gave a significant advantage. Mackensen's corps was delayed for two days, which made it easier for Kirponos' troops to exit the battle.
The troops retreated with heavy losses. A significant part of the equipment had to be destroyed, since even a minor malfunction could not be eliminated due to the lack of repair tools. In the 22nd Mechanized Corps alone, 58 faulty tanks were blown up.
On July 6 and 7, enemy tank divisions reached the Novograd-Volyn fortified area, the defense of which was to be strengthened by the retreating formations of the 6th Army. Instead, some units of the 5th Army were able to get here. Here, Colonel Blank’s group, which had escaped from the encirclement, went on the defensive, created from the remnants of two divisions - a total of 2.5 thousand people. For two days the units of the fortified area and this group held back the enemy onslaught. On July 7, Kleist's tank divisions captured Berdichev, and a day later - Novograd-Volynsk. Following the tank group on July 10, the infantry divisions of the 6th Army of Reichenau bypassed the fortified area from the north and south. It was not possible to stop the enemy at the old state border either.
The breakthrough in the Berdichev direction caused particular concern, as it created a threat to the rear of the main forces of the Southwestern Front. Through joint efforts, formations of the 6th Army, 16th and 15th Mechanized Corps held back the enemy's onslaught until July 15.
To the north, the enemy's 13th Tank Division captured Zhitomir on July 9. Although the 5th Army tried to delay the rapid rush of enemy tanks, the approaching infantry divisions repelled all its attacks. In two days, German tank formations advanced 110 km and on July 11 approached the Kyiv fortified area. Only here, on the defensive line created by the garrison troops and the population of the capital of Ukraine, was the enemy finally stopped.
The people's militia played a major role in repelling the enemy's attack. Already on July 8, 19 detachments with a total number of about 30 thousand people were formed in Kyiv, and in the Kyiv region as a whole, over 90 thousand people joined the ranks of the militia. An 85,000-strong volunteer corps was created in Kharkov, and a corps of five divisions with a total of 50,000 militiamen was created in Dnepropetrovsk.
Not as dramatic as in Ukraine, the war began in Moldova, where the border with Romania along the Prut and Danube was covered by the 9th Army. Opposing it were the 11th German, 3rd and 4th Romanian armies, which had the task of pinning down the Soviet troops and, under favorable conditions, going on the offensive. In the meantime, Romanian formations sought to seize bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Prut. Fierce fighting broke out here in the first two days. Not without difficulty, the bridgeheads, except for one in the Skulyan area, were liquidated by Soviet troops.
Military actions also flared up in the Black Sea. At 3 hours 15 minutes on June 22, enemy aircraft carried out raids on Sevastopol and Izmail, and artillery shelled settlements and ships on the Danube. Already on the night of June 23, fleet aviation took retaliatory measures by raiding the military installations of Constanta and Sulina. And on June 26, a special strike group of the Black Sea Fleet, consisting of the leaders “Kharkov” and “Moscow”, struck this port of Constanta. They were supported by the cruiser Voroshilov and the destroyers Soobrazitelny and Smyshleny. The ships fired 350 130 mm caliber shells. However, the 280-mm German battery returned fire from the leader "Moscow", which, while retreating, hit a mine and sank. At this time, enemy aircraft damaged the leader of the Kharkov.
On June 25, the Southern Front was created from the troops operating on the border with Romania. In addition to the 9th, it included the 18th Army, formed from troops transferred from the Southwestern Front. The administration of the new front was created on the basis of the headquarters of the Moscow Military District, headed by its commander, General I.V. Tyulenev and Chief of Staff General G.D. Shishenin. The commander and his staff in the new location faced enormous difficulties, primarily due to the fact that they were completely unfamiliar with the theater of military operations. In his first directive, Tyulenev set the front troops the task: “Defend the state border with Romania. If the enemy crosses and flies into our territory, destroy him with active actions of ground troops and aviation and be ready for decisive offensive actions.”
Considering the success of the offensive in Ukraine and the fact that Soviet troops in Moldova held their positions, Field Marshal Rundstedt decided to encircle and destroy the main forces of the Southern and Southern Western fronts.
The offensive of German-Romanian troops against the Southern Front began on July 2. In the morning, shock groups attacked formations of the 9th Army in two narrow sectors. The main blow from the Iasi area was delivered by four infantry divisions at the junction of the rifle divisions. Another blow by two infantry divisions and a cavalry brigade hit one rifle regiment. Having achieved decisive superiority, the enemy broke through the poorly prepared defenses on the river on the first day. The rod is to a depth of 8-10 km.
Without waiting for a decision from Headquarters, Tyulenev ordered the troops to begin withdrawing. However, the High Command not only canceled it, on July 7 Tyulenev received an order to push the enemy back beyond the Prut with a counterattack. Only the 18th Army, which was adjacent to the Southwestern Front, was allowed to withdraw.
The undertaken counterattack managed to delay the advance of the 11th German and 4th Romanian armies operating in the Chisinau direction.
The situation on the Southern Front was temporarily stabilized. The enemy's delay allowed the 18th Army to withdraw and occupy the Mogilev-Podolsk fortified area, and the 9th Army managed to gain a foothold west of the Dniester. On July 6, its left-flank formations remaining in the lower reaches of the Prut and Danube were united into the Primorsky Group of Forces under the command of General N.E. Chibisova. Together with the Danube military flotilla, they repelled all attempts by Romanian troops to cross the border of the USSR.
The defensive operation in Western Ukraine (later it became known as the Lvov-Chernivtsi strategic defensive operation) ended in the defeat of the Soviet troops. The depth of their retreat ranged from 60-80 to 300-350 km. Were abandoned Northern Bukovina and Western Ukraine, the enemy reached Kyiv. Although the defense in Ukraine and Moldova, unlike the Baltic states and Belarus, still retained some stability, the fronts of the South-Western strategic direction were unable to use their numerical superiority to repel the attacks of the aggressor and were ultimately defeated. By July 6, the casualties of the Southwestern Front and the 18th Army of the Southern Front amounted to 241,594 people, including irrevocable losses - 172,323 people. They lost 4,381 tanks, 1,218 combat aircraft, 5,806 guns and mortars. The balance of forces changed in favor of the enemy. Having the initiative and retaining offensive capabilities, Army Group South was preparing a strike from the area west of Kyiv to the south to the rear of the Southwestern and Southern fronts.
The tragic outcome of the initial period of the war and the transition to strategic defense
The initial period of the Great Patriotic War, which lasted from June 22 to mid-July, was associated with serious failures of the Soviet Armed Forces. The enemy achieved major operational and strategic results. His troops advanced 300-600 km deep into Soviet territory. Under enemy pressure, the Red Army was forced to retreat almost everywhere. Latvia, Lithuania, almost all of Belarus, a significant part of Estonia, Ukraine and Moldova found themselves under occupation. About 23 million Soviet people fell into fascist captivity. The country lost many industrial enterprises and acreage with ripening harvests. A threat was created to Leningrad, Smolensk, and Kyiv. Only in the Arctic, Karelia and Moldova the enemy’s advance was insignificant.
In the first three weeks of the war, of the 170 Soviet divisions that took the first blow of the German military machine, 28 were completely defeated, and 70 lost more than half of their personnel and military equipment. Only three fronts - Northwestern, Western and Southwestern - irretrievably lost about 600 thousand people, or almost a third of their strength. The Red Army lost about 4 thousand combat aircraft, over 11.7 thousand tanks, about 18.8 thousand guns and mortars. Even at sea, despite the limited nature of the fighting, the Soviet fleet lost a leader, 3 destroyers, 11 submarines, 5 minesweepers, 5 torpedo boats and a number of other combat ships and transports. More than half of the reserves of the border military districts remained in the occupied territory. The losses suffered had a heavy impact on the combat effectiveness of the troops, who were in dire need of everything: ammunition, fuel, weapons, and transport. It took Soviet industry more than a year to replenish them. At the beginning of July, the German General Staff concluded that the campaign in Russia had already been won, although not yet completed. It seemed to Hitler that the Red Army was no longer able to create a continuous defense front even in the most important directions. At a meeting on July 8, he only clarified further tasks for the troops.
Despite the losses, the Red Army troops, fighting from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea, had 212 divisions and 3 rifle brigades by mid-July. And although only 90 of them were full-fledged formations, and the rest had only half, or even less, of the regular strength, it was clearly premature to consider the Red Army defeated. The Northern, Southwestern and Southern fronts retained their ability to resist, and the troops of the Western and Northwestern fronts quickly restored their combat effectiveness.
At the start of the campaign, the Wehrmacht also suffered losses unmatched in the previous years of World War II. According to Halder, as of July 13, over 92 thousand people were killed, wounded or missing in the ground forces alone, and the damage in tanks averaged 50%. Approximately the same data is given in post-war studies by West German historians, who believe that from the beginning of the war until July 10, 1941, the Wehrmacht lost 77,313 people on the eastern front. The Luftwaffe lost 950 aircraft. In the Baltic Sea, the German fleet lost 4 minelayers, 2 torpedo boats and 1 hunter. However, the losses of personnel did not exceed the number of field reserve battalions available in each division, due to which they were replenished, so the combat effectiveness of the formations was basically preserved. Since mid-July, the offensive capabilities of the aggressor remained large: 183 combat-ready divisions and 21 brigades.
One of the reasons for the tragic outcome of the initial period of the war was the gross miscalculation of the political and military leadership of the Soviet Union regarding the timing of the aggression. As a result, the troops of the first operational echelon found themselves in an extremely difficult situation. The enemy crushed the Soviet troops in parts: first, the formations of the first echelon of the covering armies located along the border and not brought into combat readiness, then with counter blows - their second echelons, and then, developing the offensive, he forestalled the Soviet troops in occupying advantageous lines in the depths, on the move mastering them. As a result, the Soviet troops found themselves dismembered and surrounded.
The attempts of the Soviet command to carry out retaliatory strikes with the transfer of military operations to the territory of the aggressor, which they made on the second day of the war, no longer corresponded to the capabilities of the troops and, in fact, were one of the reasons for the unsuccessful outcome of the border battles. The decision to switch to strategic defense, made only on the eighth day of the war, also turned out to be belated. Moreover, this transition took place too hesitantly and at different times. He demanded that the main efforts be transferred from the southwestern direction to the western, where the enemy delivered his main blow. As a result, a significant part of the Soviet troops did not so much fight as move from one direction to another. This gave the enemy the opportunity to destroy the formations piece by piece as they approached the concentration area.
The war revealed significant shortcomings in troop management. The main reason is the weak vocational training command cadres of the Red Army. Among the reasons that led to shortcomings in troop management was an excessive reliance on wired communications. After the first strikes by enemy aircraft and the actions of his sabotage groups, permanent wire communication lines were put out of action, and the extremely limited number of radio stations and the lack of necessary skills in their use did not allow establishing stable communications. The commanders were afraid of radio direction finding by the enemy, and therefore avoided using the radio, preferring wired and other means. And the strategic leadership bodies did not have pre-prepared control points. Headquarters, the General Staff, the commanders of the armed forces and branches of the armed forces had to lead the troops from peacetime offices that were absolutely unsuited for this.
The forced withdrawal of Soviet troops extremely complicated and significantly disrupted mobilization in the western border districts. The headquarters and rear of divisions, armies, and fronts were forced to conduct fighting as part of peacetime.
The initial period of the Great Patriotic War ended with the defeat of the Soviet Armed Forces. The military-political leadership of Germany did not hide its jubilation over the expected imminent victory. Back on July 4, Hitler, intoxicated by his first successes at the front, declared: “I always try to put myself in the position of the enemy. In fact, he has already lost the war. It's good that we defeated the Russian tank and air force at the very beginning. The Russians will no longer be able to restore them.” And here is what the Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht Ground Forces, General F. Halder, wrote in his diary: “... it would not be an exaggeration to say that the campaign against Russia was won within 14 days.”
However, they cruelly miscalculated. Already on July 30, during the battles for Smolensk, for the first time in two years of World War II, fascist German troops were forced to go on the defensive. And the same German general F. Halder was forced to admit: “It became completely obvious that the enemy’s method of conducting combat operations and the fighting spirit, as well as geographical conditions of this country were completely different from those that the Germans encountered in previous “blitzkrieg wars” that led to successes that amazed the whole world.” During the bloody Battle of Smolensk, heroic Soviet soldiers thwarted the plans of the German command for a “lightning war” in Russia, and the most powerful army group “Center” was forced to go on the defensive, postponing the non-stop offensive on Moscow for more than two months.
But our country had to make up for the losses suffered, rebuild industry and Agriculture in a military way. This required time and enormous effort from all the peoples of the Soviet Union. Stop the enemy at all costs, not allow yourself to be enslaved - for this they lived, fought, died. soviet people. The result of this massive feat of the Soviet people was the Victory won over the hated enemy in May 1945.
The material was prepared by the Research Institute (military history) of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Russian Federation
Photo from the archive of the Voeninform Agency of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Documents reflecting the activities of the leadership of the Red Army on the eve and in the first days of the Great Patriotic War were provided by the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin Wall
Leningrad 1941
Defense of Leningrad
Residents participated in the construction of defensive structures of Leningrad
Leningrad during the siege
Liberation of Leningrad
The road of life
Fascists captured near Moscow
Destroyed Stalingrad
Monument to the Grieving Mother on Mamayev Kurgan
Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd
Defense of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Heroes - sailors of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Defense of Odessa
Liberation of Odessa
Odessa is a Russian city
Kyiv after the German bombing
Defense of Kyiv
Defenders of Kyiv
Kyiv today
Defense of Kerch
Liberation of Kerch
Kerch today
Defense of Novorossiysk
Liberation of Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk
Liberation of Minsk
Defense of Tula
The defenders defended Tula
Defense of Murmansk
Defenders of Murmansk
Murmansk
Destroyed Smolensk
Defense of Smolensk
Smolensk
Our Heroic Motherland has always attracted the attention of enemies, many wanted to seize our lands, make slaves of the Russians and the peoples living in Russia, this was the case in ancient times, and this was also the case quite recently, when Nazi Germany attacked our country. Russian cities stood in the way of the Nazi invaders and bravely defended themselves. We mourn the dead soldiers, the elderly, women and children who fell defending our cities. Hero cities are our story about them.
Hero City Moscow
In the plans of Nazi Germany, the capture of Moscow was of primary importance, since it was with the capture of Moscow that the victory of German troops over our country would be considered. To capture the city, a special operation codenamed “Typhoon” was developed. The Germans launched two major attacks on the capital of our Motherland in October and November 1941. The forces were unequal. In the first operation Hitler's command used 74 divisions (including 22 motorized and tank), 1.8 million officers and soldiers, 1,390 aircraft, 1,700 tanks, 14,000 mortars and guns. The second operation consisted of 51 combat-ready divisions. On our side, a little more than a million people, 677 aircraft, 970 tanks and 7,600 mortars and guns stood up to defend the hero city.
As a result of the fierce battle that ensued, which lasted more than 200 days, the enemy was thrown back 80-250 km west of Moscow. This event strengthened the spirit of our entire people and the Red Army, and shattered the myth of the invincibility of the Nazis. For the exemplary performance of combat missions, 36 thousand defenders of the city were awarded various orders and medals, and 110 people were awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union.” More than a million soldiers were awarded the medal “For the Defense of Moscow”. By decree of May 8, 1965, Moscow was awarded the honorary title of Hero City.
Hero City Leningrad (St. Petersburg)
The Nazis wanted to completely destroy Leningrad, wipe it off the face of the earth and exterminate its population.
Fierce fighting on the outskirts of Leningrad began on July 10, 1941. Numerical superiority was on the enemy’s side: almost 2.5 times more soldiers, 10 times more aircraft, 1.2 times more tanks, and almost 6 times more mortars. As a result, on September 8, 1941, the Nazis managed to capture Shlisselburg and thus take control of the source of the Neva. As a result, Leningrad was blocked from land (cut off from the mainland).
From that moment on, the infamous 900-day blockade of the city began, which lasted until January 1944. Despite the terrible famine that began and the continuous attacks of the enemy, as a result of which almost 650,000 residents of Leningrad died, they showed themselves to be real heroes, directing all their strength to the fight with the fascist invaders.
More than 500 thousand Leningraders went to work on the construction of defensive structures; they built 35 km of barricades and anti-tank obstacles, as well as more than 4,000 bunkers and pillboxes; 22,000 firing points are equipped. At the cost of their own health and lives, the courageous Leningrad heroes gave the front thousands of field and naval guns, repaired and launched 2,000 tanks, produced 10 million shells and mines, 225,000 machine guns and 12,000 mortars.
The first breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad occurred on January 18, 1943 through the efforts of the troops of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts, when a corridor 8-11 km wide was formed between the front line and Lake Ladoga. A year later, Leningrad was completely liberated. On December 22, 1942, the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad” was established, which was awarded to about 1,500,000 defenders of the city. In 1965, Leningrad was awarded the title of Hero City.
City Hero Volgograd (Stalingrad)
In the summer of 1942, fascist German troops launched a massive offensive on the southern front, trying to capture the Caucasus, the Don region, the lower Volga and Kuban - the richest and most fertile lands of our country. First of all, the city of Stalingrad came under attack.
On July 17, 1942, one of the greatest and largest battles in the history of World War II began - the Battle of Stalingrad. Despite the Nazis' desire to capture the city as quickly as possible, it continued for 200 long, bloody days and nights, thanks to the incredible efforts of the heroes of the army, navy and ordinary residents of the region.
The first attack on the city took place on August 23, 1942. Then, just north of Stalingrad, the Germans almost approached the Volga. Policemen, sailors of the Volga Fleet, NKVD troops, cadets and other volunteer heroes were sent to defend the city. That same night, the Germans launched their first air raid on the city, and on August 25, a state of siege was introduced in Stalingrad. At that time, about 50 thousand volunteers - heroes from among ordinary townspeople - signed up for the people's militia. Despite the almost continuous shelling, the Stalingrad factories continued to operate and produce tanks, Katyushas, cannons, mortars and a huge number of shells.
On September 12, 1942, the enemy came close to the city. Two months of fierce defensive battles for Stalingrad caused significant damage to the Germans: the enemy lost about 700 thousand people killed and wounded, and on November 19, 1942, the counter-offensive of our army began.
75 days lasted offensive and finally, the enemy at Stalingrad was surrounded and completely defeated. January 1943 brought complete victory on this sector of the front. The fascist invaders were surrounded, and their commander, General Paulus, and his entire army surrendered. During the entire Battle of Stalingrad, the German army lost more than 1,500,000 people.
Stalingrad was one of the first to be called a hero city. This honorary title was first announced in the order of the Commander-in-Chief dated May 1, 1945. And the medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad” became a symbol of the courage of the city’s defenders.
Hero City Sevastopol
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the city of Sevastopol was the largest port on the Black Sea and the main naval base of the country. His heroic defense against the Nazis began on October 30, 1941. and lasted 250 days, going down in history as an example of the long-term defense of a coastal city deep behind enemy lines. The Germans failed to capture Sevastopol immediately, since its garrison numbered 23 thousand people and had 150 coastal and field guns. But then, until the summer of 1942, they made three more attempts to capture the city.
The first time Sevastopol was attacked was on November 11, 1941. The Nazi army tried for 10 days in a row to break through to the hero city with the strength of four infantry divisions, but to no avail. They were opposed by our naval and ground forces, united in the Sevastopol defensive region.
The Nazis made a second attempt to capture the city from December 7 to December 31, 1941. This time they had at their disposal seven infantry divisions, two mountain rifle brigades, over 150 tanks, 300 aircraft and 1,275 guns and mortars. But this attempt also failed; the heroic defenders of Sevastopol destroyed up to 40,000 fascists and did not allow them to approach the city.
By the end of spring 1942, the Germans had amassed 200,000 soldiers, 600 aircraft, 450 tanks and more than 2,000 guns and mortars to Sevastopol. They managed to blockade the city from the air and increased their activity at sea, as a result of which the courageous defenders of the city were forced to retreat. Despite this, the heroic defenders of Sevastopol inflicted serious damage on the forces of the Nazi troops and disrupted their plans on the southern wing of the front.
The battles for the liberation of Sevastopol began on April 15, 1944, when Soviet soldiers reached the occupied city. Particularly fierce battles were fought in the area adjacent to Sapun Mountain. On May 9, 1944, our army liberated Sevastopol. For military distinction, 44 soldiers who participated in those battles were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and over 39,000 people received the medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol.” Sevastopol was one of the first to receive the title of Hero City on May 8, 1965.
Hero City Odessa
Already in August 1941, Odessa was completely surrounded by Nazi troops. Its heroic defense lasted 73 days, during which the Soviet army and troops people's militia defended the city from enemy invasion. From the mainland side, Odessa was defended by the Primorsky Army, from the sea - by ships of the Black Sea Fleet, with the support of artillery from the shore. To capture the city, the enemy threw forces five times larger than its defenders.
Nazi troops launched the first big assault on Odessa on August 20, 1941, but heroic Soviet troops stopped their advance 10-14 kilometers from the city borders. Every day, 10-12 thousand women and children dug trenches, laid mines, and pulled wire fences. In total, during the defense, 40,000 mines were planted by residents, more than 250 kilometers of anti-tank ditches were dug, and about 250 barricades were built on the city streets. The hands of teenagers who worked in factories made about 300,000 hand grenades and the same number of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. During the months of defense, 38 thousand ordinary residents-heroes of Odessa moved to the ancient Odessa catacombs, stretching for many kilometers underground, to take part in the defense of their home city.
The heroic defense of Odessa blocked the enemy army for 73 days. Thanks to the dedication of the Soviet troops and the heroes of the people's militia, more than 160,000 German soldiers 200 enemy aircraft and 100 tanks were killed and destroyed.
But the city was nevertheless taken on October 16, 1941. From that day on, a merciless partisan struggle against the invaders began: 5 thousand soldiers and officers were destroyed by Odessa partisan heroes, 27 trains with enemy military equipment were derailed, 248 vehicles were blown up.
Odessa was liberated on April 10, 1944, and the title of City Hero was awarded in 1965.
Hero City Kyiv
German troops launched a surprise attack on the city of Kyiv from the air on June 22, 1941 - in the very first hours of the war, a heroic struggle for the city began, which lasted for 72 days. Kyiv was defended not only by Soviet soldiers, but also by ordinary residents. Huge efforts were made for this by militia units, of which there were nineteen by the beginning of July. Also, 13 fighter battalions were formed from among the townspeople, and in total, 33,000 people from the city’s residents took part in the defense of Kyiv. In those difficult July days, the people of Kiev built more than 1,400 pillboxes and manually dug 55 kilometers of anti-tank ditches.
The courage and courage of the defenders’ heroes stopped the enemy advance on the first line of the city’s fortifications. The Nazis failed to take Kyiv in a raid. However, on July 30, 1941, the fascist army made a new attempt to storm the city. On the tenth of August, she managed to break through the defenses on its southwestern outskirts, but through the joint efforts of the people's militia and regular troops they managed to give a worthy rebuff to the enemy. By August 15, 1941, the militia drove the Nazis back to their previous positions. Enemy losses near Kiev numbered more than 100,000 people. The Nazis did not undertake any more direct assaults on the city. Such prolonged resistance by the city’s defenders forced the enemy to withdraw part of the forces from the offensive in the Moscow direction and transfer them to Kyiv, due to which the Soviet soldiers were forced to retreat on September 19, 1941.
The Nazi invaders who occupied the city inflicted enormous damage on it, establishing a regime of brutal occupation. More than 200,000 Kiev residents were killed, and about 100,000 people were sent to Germany for forced labor. Residents of the city actively resisted the Nazis. An underground was organized in Kyiv that fought the Nazi regime. The underground heroes destroyed hundreds of fascists, blew up 500 German cars, derailed 19 trains, and burned 18 warehouses.
Kyiv was liberated on November 6, 1943. In 1965, Kyiv was awarded the title of Hero City.
Hero-Fortress Brest
Of all the cities of the Soviet Union, it was Brest that had the fate of being the first to encounter the Nazi invaders. In the early morning of June 22, 1941, the Brest Fortress was bombed by the enemy, in which at that time there were approximately 7 thousand Soviet soldiers and members of the families of their commanders.
The German command expected to capture the fortress within a few hours, but the 45th Wehrmacht Division was stuck in Brest for a week and, with significant losses, suppressed individual pockets of resistance of the heroic defenders of Brest for another month. As a result, the Brest Fortress became a symbol of courage, heroic fortitude and valor during the Great Patriotic War. The attack on the fortress was sudden, so the garrison was taken by surprise. With fire from the air, the Nazis destroyed the water supply and warehouses, interrupted communications and inflicted heavy losses on the garrison.
An unexpected artillery attack did not allow heroic defenders the fortress provided coordinated resistance, so it was divided into several centers. According to eyewitnesses of those days, single shooting from the Brest fortress was heard until the beginning of August, but, in the end, the resistance was suppressed. But the German losses from that repulse of the heroes - the defenders of Brest - were significant - 1,121 people killed and wounded. During the occupation of Brest, the Nazis killed 40,000 civilians in the city. The city of Brest, including the famous fortress, met its heroes - liberators on July 28, 1944.
On May 8, 1965, the fortress received the title of “hero fortress.” In 1971, the hero fortress “Brest” became a memorial complex.
Hero City Kerch
Kerch was one of the first cities to come under attack by Nazi troops at the beginning of the war. During all this time, the front line passed through it four times and during the war years the city was occupied twice by Nazi troops, as a result of which 15 thousand civilians were killed, and more than 14 thousand Kerchan residents were driven to Germany for forced labor. The city was captured for the first time in November 1941, after bloody battles. But already on December 30, during the Kerch-Feodosia landing operation, Kerch was liberated by our troops.
In May 1942, the Nazis concentrated large forces and launched a new attack on the city. As a result of heavy and stubborn fighting, Kerch was abandoned again. A legendary page inscribed in the history of the Great Patriotic War was the stubborn struggle and long defense in the Adzhimushkai quarries. Soviet patriots - heroes showed the whole world an example of mutual assistance and loyalty military duty and military brotherhood. Also, underground fighters and partisans waged an active fight against the invaders.
During the 320 days that the city was in the hands of the enemy, the occupiers destroyed all the factories, burned all the bridges and ships, cut down and burned parks and gardens, destroyed the power station and telegraph, and blew up the railway lines. Kerch was almost completely wiped off the face of the earth.
With the onset of 1943, the German command considered Crimea to be one of the most important bridgeheads, so huge forces were drawn to Kerch: tanks, artillery, and aviation. In addition, the Germans mined the strait itself to prevent the Soviet liberation troops from breaking through into the occupied lands. At night, November 1, 1943, 18 machine gunners occupied a small mound near the village of Eltigen. All these heroes died on the taken bridgehead, but did not let the enemy through. The continuous battle, which lasted 40 days, went down in history under the name “Terra del Fuego.” This feat, which began the reconquest of the Kerch Strait, marked the beginning of the liberation of the Crimean Peninsula.
So, for the defense and liberation of Kerch, 153 people were awarded the Order of Hero of the Soviet Union. The city was liberated on April 11, 1944, and on September 14, 1973, Kerch was awarded the title of Hero City.
Hero City Novorossiysk
To protect the city of Novorossiysk, on August 17, 1942, the Novorossiysk defensive region was created, which included the 47th Army, sailors of the Azov Military Flotilla and the Black Sea Fleet. People's militia units were actively created in the city, more than 200 defensive firing points and command posts were built, and an anti-tank and anti-personnel obstacle course more than thirty kilometers long was equipped.
The ships of the Black Sea Fleet particularly distinguished themselves in the fight for Novorossiysk. Despite the heroic efforts of the defenders of Novorossiysk, the forces were unequal, and on September 7, 1942, the enemy managed to enter the city and capture several administrative objects in it. But after four days the Nazis were stopped in the south-eastern part of the city and moved to a defensive position.
A victorious record in the history of the battle for the liberation of Novorossiysk was made by the landing on the night of February 4, 1943 of an amphibious assault led by Major Kunnikov. This happened on the southern border of the hero city, in the area of the village of Stanichki. A kind of bridgehead with an area of 30 square meters. kilometers, entered the chronicle of the Great Patriotic War under the name “Malaya Zemlya”. The battle for Novorossiysk lasted 225 days and ended with the complete liberation of the hero city on September 16, 1943.
September 14, 1973, in honor of the 30th anniversary of the victory over the Nazis, during the defense North Caucasus, Novorossiysk received the title of hero city.
Hero City Minsk
From the first days of the Great Patriotic War, Minsk found itself in the very center of the battles, as it was located in the direction of the main attack of the Germans, on Moscow. The advanced units of the enemy troops approached the city on June 26, 1941. They were met by only one 64th Infantry Division, which in just three days of fierce fighting destroyed about 300 enemy vehicles and armored vehicles, as well as a lot of tank equipment. On June twenty-seventh, the Nazis managed to be thrown back, 10 km from Minsk - this reduced the striking force and pace of the Nazis’ advance to the east. However, after stubborn and heavy fighting, on June 28, Soviet troops were forced to retreat and leave the city.
The Nazis established a strict occupation regime in Minsk, during which they destroyed a huge number of both prisoners of war and civilians of the city. But the courageous Minsk residents did not submit to the enemy; underground groups and sabotage detachments began to be created in the city. These heroes accounted for over 1,500 acts of sabotage, as a result of which several military and administrative facilities were blown up in Minsk, and the city railway junction was repeatedly disabled. For their courage and heroism, 600 participants of the Minsk underground were awarded orders and medals, 8 people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. On June 26, 1974, Minsk was awarded the title of Hero City.
Hero City of Tula
By October 1941, the fascist invaders, who dreamed of capturing Moscow, managed to advance quite far into Russia.
The German general Guderian was able to take the city of Orel, which was taken by surprise by the enemy, before reaching Tula. There were only 180 km left to Tula, and there were no military units in the city, except for: one NKVD regiment, which guarded defense factories operating here at full capacity, the 732nd anti-aircraft artillery regiment, covering the city from the air, and fighter battalions consisting of workers and employees.
Almost immediately, brutal and bloody battles broke out for the city, since Tula was the next step for the enemy rushing towards Moscow.
Also immediately after the capture of Orel, Tula was placed under martial law. Working extermination squads were created there. Residents of the city surrounded Tula with ribbons of trenches, dug anti-tank ditches inside the city, installed gouges and hedgehogs, and built barricades and strongholds. In parallel to this, there was active work for the evacuation of defense plants.
The Nazis sent their best troops to take Tula: three tank divisions, one motorized and the “Greater Germany” regiment. The heroes of the workers' guard, as well as security officers and anti-aircraft gunners, bravely resisted the enemy forces.
Despite the most fierce attacks, in which about a hundred tanks took part from the enemy, the Nazis did not manage to break through to Tula in any battle area. Moreover, in just one day, the Soviet heroes defending the city managed to destroy 31 enemy tanks and destroy a lot of infantry.
Defense life was in full swing in the city itself. The telephone exchange helped establish communications between units of the Soviet army that had emerged from encirclement, hospitals received the wounded, equipment and weapons were repaired at factories, the defenders of Tula were supplied with provisions and warm clothing.
As a result, the city survived! The enemy was unable to capture it. For the courage shown in battles and defense, about 250 of its residents were awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union.” On December 7, 1976, Tula received the title of Hero City and was awarded the Gold Star medal.
Hero City Murmansk
To seize the lands of the Arctic, from Norway and Finland, the Germans deployed the “Norway” front. The plans of the fascist invaders included an attack on the Kola Peninsula. The defense of the peninsula was deployed on the Northern Front, a strip 500 km long. It was these units that covered the Murmansk, Kandelaki and Ukhta directions. Ships of the Northern Fleet and ground forces of the Soviet Army took part in the defense, protecting the Arctic from the invasion of German troops.
The enemy offensive began on June 29, 1941, but our soldiers stopped the enemy 20-30 kilometers from the border line. At the cost of fierce fighting and the boundless courage of these heroes, the front line remained unchanged until 1944, when our troops launched an offensive. Murmansk is one of those cities that became front-line from the very first days of the war. The Nazis carried out 792 air raids and dropped 185 thousand bombs on the city - however, Murmansk survived and continued to operate as a port city. Under regular air raids, ordinary citizens-heroes carried out the unloading and loading of ships, the construction of bomb shelters, and the production of military equipment. During all the war years, the Murmansk port received 250 ships and handled 2 million tons of various cargo.
The hero fishermen of Murmansk did not stand aside either - in three years they managed to catch 850 thousand centners of fish, supplying both city residents and soldiers of the Red Army with food. The townspeople who worked at the shipyards repaired 645 combat ships and 544 ordinary transport ships. In addition, another 55 fishing vessels were converted into combat vessels in Murmansk. In 1942, the main strategic actions developed not on land, but in the harsh waters of the northern seas.
As a result of incredible efforts, the heroes of the Northern Fleet destroyed more than 200 fascist warships and about 400 transport ships. And in the fall of 1944, the fleet expelled the enemy from these lands and the threat of capturing Murmansk passed.
In 1944, the medal “For the Defense of the Soviet Arctic” was established. The city of Murmansk received the title “Hero City” on May 6, 1985.
Hero City Smolensk
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Smolensk found itself on the path of the main attack of the fascist troops towards Moscow. The city was first bombed on June 24, 1941, and 4 days later the Nazis launched a second air attack on Smolensk, as a result of which the central part of the city was completely destroyed.
On July 10, 1941, the famous Battle of Smolensk began, which lasted until September 10 of the same year. The soldiers of the Western Front of the Red Army stood up to defend the hero city, as well as the capital of our homeland. The enemy outnumbered them in manpower, artillery and aircraft (2 times), as well as in tank equipment (4 times).
In the hero city of Smolensk itself, three fighter battalions and one police battalion were formed. Its residents also actively helped Soviet soldiers; they dug anti-tank ditches and trenches, built take-off platforms, built barricades and cared for the wounded. Despite the heroic efforts of the defenders of Smolensk, on July 29, 1941, the Nazis managed to enter the city. The occupation lasted until September 25, 1943, but even during these terrible years for Smolensk, its residents continued to fight the enemy, creating partisan detachments and conducting underground subversive activities.
For courage and heroism shown behind enemy lines and in the ranks of the Soviet Army, 260 natives Smolensk region were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and 10 thousand partisans and underground fighters were awarded orders and medals. The title of Hero City was awarded to Smolensk on May 6, 1985.
We say the City is a hero and we understand that these people are heroes. Residents of these cities, soldiers who defended and liberated these cities. It was the people who made these cities heroes, and who became heroes themselves. No one on earth has yet managed to enslave our country, because we are the most courageous and resilient people in the world.
Our ancestors, at the cost of their lives, defended our independence more than once. We must be worthy of their memory, we must preserve our Motherland for future generations, just as our ancestors did for us. Everlasting memory to all those who fell in the Great Patriotic War.
On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. At 3:30 a.m., when the fascist German troops received the pre-arranged Dortmund signal, an artillery strike was suddenly launched at Soviet border outposts and fortifications, and a few minutes later enemy hordes invaded the USSR. Large forces of German aviation brought down thousands of tons of deadly cargo on Soviet airfields, bridges, warehouses, railways, naval bases, lines and communications centers, and on sleeping cities. A giant fire tornado raged in the border regions of the country. The cruel and incredibly difficult Great Patriotic War began for the Soviet people.
At 12 noon, Molotov made an official address on the radio to the citizens of the USSR, announcing the German attack on the USSR and announcing the beginning of the Patriotic War. I think everyone has heard and knows the text of this appeal to the Soviet people:
Citizens and women of the Soviet Union!
The Soviet government and its head, Comrade. Stalin instructed me to make the following statement:
Today, at 4 o'clock in the morning, without presenting any claims to the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed our cities from their planes - Zhitomir, Kiev, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others, more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Enemy aircraft raids and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory.
This unheard of attack on our country is a treachery unparalleled in the history of civilized nations. The attack on our country was carried out despite the fact that a non-aggression treaty was concluded between the USSR and Germany, and the Soviet government fulfilled all the terms of this treaty in all good faith. The attack on our country was carried out despite the fact that during the entire duration of this treaty the German government could never make a single claim against the USSR regarding the implementation of the treaty. All responsibility for this predatory attack on the Soviet Union falls entirely on the German fascist rulers.
“Today, at 4 o’clock in the morning...” - this very hour is considered the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. However, the Great Patriotic War began 47 minutes earlier, and not in Brest or on the Prut River, but in Sevastopol.
The war began for Sevastopol at 3:13 on June 22, 1941 with a German air raid. The first bombs fell on the city, and mines were dropped into the bay.
The first mine fell directly into the waters of the Sevastopol Bay - in order to prevent ships of the Black Sea Fleet from going to sea. She fell almost in the same place where in Crimean War During the defense of Sevastopol, old wooden ships were sunk in order to prevent the Anglo-French squadron from entering the bay. There is also a monument there, which is called “Monument to Sunken Ships” (that’s what it is in the picture). It was here that the Great Patriotic War began.
The second mine was also thrown for this purpose, but did not hit the water area, but fell on the street. Podgornaya and brought the first victims (about 20 people killed and wounded). These were the first victims of the Great Patriotic War.
The mines were lowered by parachute and exploded when they fell to the ground; several of them fell into the sea. Military experts suggested that the enemy was dropping ordinary anchor mines. On the evening of June 22, an underwater explosion killed the SP-12 tugboat, two days later a 25-ton floating crane, and then the Bystry destroyer. It turned out that German troops used the new kind weapons - non-contact bottom magnetic mines, which exploded under the influence of the mass of ships passing over them. By placing electromagnetic mines on the fairways, the German command hoped to clog the main base of the Black Sea Fleet, and then destroy the ships with bomber strikes.
However, as a result of the successful work of the air defense forces, the task of blocking the Sevastopol bays with mines in order to subsequently destroy the fleet by bomber aircraft was not completed by the Germans. For a long time, enemy planes tried to mine the bay, the main fairway.
The boats of the Water District Protection Division found a means of combating proximity mines. At high speed, the boats passed over the places where mines had been dropped and dropped depth charges, from the explosion of which the mines detonated and exploded. But this method was not absolutely reliable and was fraught with huge risks.
For the fastest solution complex problem, the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet created a group of military engineers in early July. They received great help from the Leningradsky research staff Institute of Physics and Technology E.E. Lysenko, Yu.S. Lazurkin, A.R. Regel, P.G. Stepanov and laboratory assistant K.K. Shcherbo. Soon the first electromagnetic trawl was created.
On August 9, 1941, physicists, later academicians, A.P. Aleksandrov and I.V. Kurchatov arrived in Sevastopol. The days of intense work came (after the departure of A.P. Aleksandrov, the leadership was carried out by Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov). In a small house on the shore of Holland Bay, I.V. Kurchatov and his group managed to develop a demagnetization system in a uniquely short time. Scientists, together with specialists from the Black Sea Fleet, having carefully and comprehensively studied the fundamental principles of the new weapon, theoretically substantiated the method of mine protection of ships by demagnetizing them. Based on their research, the special mine-resistant treatment of warships before they go to sea gave positive results. Surface and underwater ships of the fleet treated by this method were not afraid of enemy magnetic mines.
Participants in the work on demagnetizing ships. In the first row - A.R. Regel, Yu.S. Lazurkin, V.D. Panchenko. In the second row - P.G. Stepanov, D.M. Gitelmacher. In the third - I.V. Kurchatov. 1941
An underwater mine detonated by a special trawl developed by I.V. Kurchatova.
The physical principle, in general, is quite simple - the mine sensor reacts to the ship’s magnetic field, just like a compass needle. The idea underlying the work to protect ships from proximity mines was to demagnetize ships. It was assumed that this could be done by compensating the ship's magnetic field using special windings attached to it, through which it was passed D.C.. In this case, the ship's magnetic field can be compensated magnetic field current to such an extent that the passage of a ship over a mine will not trigger the fuse, which has limited sensitivity.
The first work on demagnetizing ships was carried out even before the war, but in Sevastopol they worked with larger mines new design. Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated April 10, 1942 for the creation effective methods demagnetization of ships and their practical implementation, A.P. Aleksandrov, I.V. Kurchatov and six other participants in the work were awarded the Stalin Prize of the first degree. On October 4, 1944, I.V. Kurchatov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for solving the same problem. The command of the Black Sea Fleet nominated Kurchatov to be awarded the medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol.” So we can say that the demagnetization of ships in order to protect them from mines also began to actively develop after this work by Aleksandrov and Kurchatov in 1941 in Sevastopol.
The enemy reached Sevastopol on land only in October 1941. Already in mid-September, German and Romanian troops began preparations for an invasion of the peninsula. Until mid-October, our troops managed to hold the enemy on the approaches to Crimea. However, on October 22, the Germans reached the last, Ishun line of defense of the Crimean isthmuses and, having captured them, on October 28 they broke through to the steppe expanses of the peninsula, developing an offensive in the direction of Sevastopol and Kerch.
On October 29, 1941, a state of siege was introduced in Sevastopol. On October 30, 1941, the second heroic defense of Sevastopol began, which lasted 250 days - until July 4, 1942. From the first battles to last days defense, the defenders of the city showed dedication, unparalleled fortitude and heroism. On November 4, the Sevastopol Defense Region (SOR) was created to unite all the forces of the Main Base of the Black Sea Fleet. General management of the Main Base of the Black Sea Fleet and its defense was carried out by the Military Council of the Black Sea Fleet. As in the first defense of Sevastopol, the defense was commanded by Soviet sailors - the successors of Nakhimov, Kornilov, Istomin.
A. A. Deineka, “Defense of Sevastopol” (1942)
The city withstood two assaults (the first was an attempt by German troops to capture the city on the move during October 30 - November 21, 1941, the second - December 17-30). The last, summer assault began on June 7. Both sides prepared for the last, June assault with all their might: the Sevastopol residents - with the courage of despair, the Germans - with unprecedented frenzy. Their group was strengthened to 200 thousand people. The latest weapons were delivered to Sevastopol, including the largest cannon of the Second World War, the Dora, which was serviced by an entire division led by a general. One shell weighed 7 tons - it was visible in flight. But only 3 weeks later, on June 30, street fighting began. On the same day, an order from Headquarters was received to abandon Sevastopol. However, organized resistance ceased on July 3. Some pockets resisted until June 12. The last defenders of Sevastopol fought on the Chersonesos Peninsula, on the legendary 35th battery (now there is a unique museum complex dedicated to the heroic defenders of Sevastopol - I recommend everyone to visit, you will not see this anywhere else).
If the defense of Sevastopol lasted 250 days, the liberation took only a week. On May 5, as a result of a powerful offensive, German fortifications near the Mekenzi Mountains were broken through, and on May 7, Sapun Mountain was taken by storm. 58 hours later, by the end of the day on May 9, 1944, the city was liberated. Sevastopol. On May 8, 1965, Sevastopol was awarded the title of Hero City (among the first 7: Leningrad, Odessa, Stalingrad, Kyiv, Brest Fortress and Moscow).
Memorial wall in honor of the heroic defense of Sevastopol and Alley of Hero Cities of Sevastopol (Republic of Crimea) (my photo). The two bayonets reflected by the soldier symbolize two reflected assaults.
Today, June 22, 2015 at 3:13 a.m., the All-Russian “Candle of Memory” event will take place at the Memorial of the Heroic Defense of Sevastopol 1941-1942.
On June 22, 1941, the German army invaded the territory of the USSR, and the Great Patriotic War began, in which about 27 million Soviet citizens died. This tragic date is sacred for each of us; today, on the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, we remember and honor the feat of those who died in the Great Patriotic War.
The longest day of the year
With its cloudless weather
He gave us a common misfortune
For everyone, for all four years.
She was so impressed by the tour of the Reichstag
So, as of 2017, in the Alexander Garden, near the walls of the Kremlin, there are steles of 12 Hero Cities and 1 Hero Fortress, as well as 45 Cities of Military Glory.
As a state award, the title of “hero city” was established on May 8, 1965 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. This event was timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany and its allies.
However, the first hero cities in the Soviet Union appeared earlier. On May 1, 1945, this title was awarded to Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Stalingrad (Volgograd), Sevastopol and Odessa.
Why is the title “hero city” awarded?
The honorary title of hero city was awarded in the USSR to cities whose residents showed “mass heroism and courage in defending the Motherland in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.”
Hero cities were awarded the Order of Lenin, the medal " Golden Star"and a certificate of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Commemorative obelisks were erected in cities, and their banners had to display an order and medal.
For which the cities of the USSR / Russia received the title “hero city”, as well as a list of hero cities of the USSR and Russia.
Moscow
The title of “hero city” was brought to the capital by the Battle of Moscow in 1941–1942. It consisted of three stages:
- defensive operation (from September 30 to December 5, 1941);
- offensive operation (from December 6, 1941 to January 7, 1942);
- Rzhev-Vyazemsk offensive operation (from January 8 to April 20, 1942).
The offensive in the Moscow direction was of decisive importance. For a crushing blow to Soviet troops The fascist command concentrated 77 divisions (more than 1 million people), almost 14.5 thousand guns and mortars and 1,700 tanks. The ground forces were supported from the air by 950 combat aircraft.
In these harsh days, the efforts of the entire country were aimed at solving one task - to defend Moscow. On December 4–5, the Soviet Army drove the Nazis back from Moscow and launched a counteroffensive, which developed into a general offensive of the Red Army along the entire Soviet-German front. This was the beginning of a radical turn in the course of the Great Patriotic War.
Died in the Battle of Moscow from September 30, 1941 to April 20, 1942, more than 2,400,000 Soviet citizens.
Leningrad
The Nazis wanted to completely destroy Leningrad, wipe it off the face of the earth and exterminate its population.
Fierce fighting on the outskirts of Leningrad began on July 10, 1941. Numerical superiority was on the enemy’s side: almost 2.5 times more soldiers, 10 times more aircraft, 1.2 times more tanks, and almost 6 times more mortars. As a result, on September 8, 1941, the Nazis managed to capture Shlisselburg and thus take control of the source of the Neva. As a result, Leningrad was blocked from land (cut off from the mainland).
From that moment on, the infamous 900-day blockade of the city began, which lasted until January 1944. The number of its victims exceeds the losses of the United States and Great Britain combined during the entire Second World War.
The data were first made public at the Nuremberg trials, and in 1952 they were published in the USSR. Employees of the Leningrad branch of the Institute of USSR History of the USSR Academy of Sciences came to the conclusion that at least 800 thousand people died of hunger in Leningrad during the fascist blockade.
During the blockade The daily norm of bread for workers was only 250 g, for employees, dependents and children - half as much. At the end of December 1941, the bread ration became almost twice as heavy - by this time a significant part of the population had died.
More than 500 thousand Leningraders went to work on the construction of defensive structures; they built 35 km of barricades and anti-tank obstacles, as well as more than 4,000 bunkers and pillboxes; 22,000 firing points are equipped. At the cost of their own health and lives, the courageous Leningrad heroes gave the front thousands of field and naval guns, repaired and launched 2,000 tanks, produced 10 million shells and mines, 225,000 machine guns and 12,000 mortars.
On December 22, 1942, the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad” was established, which was awarded to about 1,500,000 defenders of the city. On May 8, 1965, Leningrad was awarded the title of Hero City.
Volgograd (Stalingrad)
In the summer of 1942, fascist German troops launched a massive offensive on the southern front, trying to capture the Caucasus, the Don region, the lower Volga and Kuban - the richest and most fertile lands of our country. First of all, the city of Stalingrad came under attack.
On July 17, 1942, one of the greatest and largest battles in the history of World War II began - the Battle of Stalingrad. Despite the Nazis' desire to capture the city as quickly as possible, it continued for 200 long, bloody days and nights, thanks to the incredible efforts of the heroes of the army, navy and ordinary residents of the region.
The first attack on the city took place on August 23, 1942. Then, just north of Stalingrad, the Germans almost approached the Volga. Policemen, sailors of the Volga Fleet, NKVD troops, cadets and other volunteer heroes were sent to defend the city. That same night, the Germans launched their first air raid on the city, and on August 25, a state of siege was introduced in Stalingrad. At that time, about 50 thousand volunteers - heroes from among ordinary citizens - signed up for the people's militia. Despite the almost continuous shelling, the Stalingrad factories continued to operate and produce tanks, Katyushas, cannons, mortars and a huge number of shells.
On September 12, 1942, the enemy came close to the city. Two months of fierce defensive battles for Stalingrad caused significant damage to the Germans: the enemy lost about 700 thousand people killed and wounded, and on November 19, 1942, the counter-offensive of our army began.
The offensive operation continued for 75 days and, finally, the enemy at Stalingrad was surrounded and completely defeated. January 1943 brought complete victory on this section of the front. The fascist invaders were surrounded, and their commander, General Paulus, and his entire army surrendered. (By the way, Paulus only agreed to hand over his personal weapons.)
During the entire Battle of Stalingrad, the German army lost more than 1,500,000 people.
During the 143-day battles, Nazi aviation dropped about 1 million bombs weighing 100 thousand tons on Stalingrad (5 times more than on London during the entire war). In total, Nazi troops rained down more than 3 million bombs, mines and artillery shells on the city. About 42 thousand buildings (85% of the housing stock), all cultural and everyday institutions, industrial buildings were destroyed. enterprises, municipal facilities.
Stalingrad was one of the first to be called a hero city. This honorary title was first announced in the order of the commander-in-chief dated May 1, 1945. And the medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad” became a symbol of the courage of the city’s defenders.
Novorossiysk
After Soviet troops thwarted the German plan to carry out aggressive operations in the Caucasus direction, Hitler’s command launched an attack on Novorossiysk. Its capture was associated with a gradual advance along the southern coast of the Black Sea and the capture of Batumi.
The battle for Novorossiysk lasted 225 days and ended with the complete liberation of the hero city on September 16, 1943.
September 14, 1973 In honor of the 30th victory over the Nazis, during the defense of the North Caucasus, Novorossiysk received the title of Hero City.
Tula
Tula became a hero city thanks to the courage of the soldiers who defended the city from October 24 to December 5, 1941. The city was under siege, but did not surrender to the Germans, despite shelling and tank attacks. Thanks to the retention of Tula, the Red Army did not allow the Wehrmacht troops to break through to Moscow from the south.
December 7, 1976 Tula received the title of Hero City and was awarded the Gold Star medal.
Murmansk
During World War II, the port city of Murmansk was of strategic importance for the USSR - supplies from allied countries passed through it.
The Germans made several attempts to capture the city, but without success.
Murmansk is one of those cities that became front-line from the very first days of the war. Following Stalingrad, Murmansk becomes the leader in sad statistics: the number explosives on square meter The city's territory exceeded all conceivable limits: 792 air raids and 185 thousand bombs dropped - however, Murmansk survived and continued to operate as a port city.
Under regular air raids, ordinary citizens-heroes carried out the unloading and loading of ships, the construction of bomb shelters, and the production of military equipment. During all the war years, the Murmansk port received 250 ships and handled 2 million tons of various cargo.
The hero fishermen of Murmansk did not stand aside either - in three years they managed to catch 850 thousand centners of fish, supplying both city residents and soldiers of the Soviet army with food. The townspeople who worked at the shipyards repaired 645 combat ships and 544 ordinary transport ships. In addition, another 55 fishing vessels were converted into combat vessels in Murmansk.
In 1942, the main strategic actions developed not on land, but in the harsh waters of the northern seas. The main task of the Nazis was to isolate the coasts of the USSR from access to the sea. However, they failed: as a result of incredible efforts, the heroes of the Northern Fleet destroyed more than 200 warships and about 400 transport ships. And in the fall of 1944, the fleet expelled the enemy from these lands and the threat of capturing Murmansk passed.
In 1944, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established the medal “For the Defense of the Soviet Arctic.” The city of Murmansk received the title “Hero City” May 6, 1985. The most famous monument dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War in the hero city of Murmansk is the memorial “Defenders of the Soviet Arctic,” which is located in the Leningrad district of the city. It was opened in honor of the 30th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi forces on October 19, 1974 and is dedicated to all the fallen heroes of those years. The monument is popularly known as “Alyosha”.
Smolensk
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Smolensk found itself on the path of the main attack of the fascist troops towards Moscow. The city was first bombed on June 24, 1941, and 4 days later the Nazis launched a second air attack on Smolensk, as a result of which the central part of the city was completely destroyed.
On July 10, 1941, the famous Battle of Smolensk began, in which the Red Army tried to stop the advancing Germans with constant counterattacks. The “Battle of the Smolensk Bulge” lasted until September 10.
In this battle, the Red Army suffered heavy losses - more than 700 thousand people, but the delay near Smolensk did not allow the Germans to reach Moscow before the onset of the autumn thaw and the onset of cold weather, and ultimately to the failure of the entire Barbarossa plan.
Sevastopol
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the city of Sevastopol was the largest port on the Black Sea and the main naval base of the country. His heroic defense against Nazi aggression began on October 30, 1941. and lasted 250 days, going down in history as an example of active, long-term defense of a coastal city deep behind enemy lines. The Germans managed to capture Sevastopol only on the fourth attempt.
If the defense of Sevastopol lasted 250 days, the liberation took only a week. The battles for the liberation of Sevastopol began on April 15, 1944, when Soviet soldiers reached the occupied city. Particularly fierce battles were fought in the area adjacent to Sapun Mountain. On May 9, 1944, soldiers of the 4th Ukrainian Front, together with sailors of the Black Sea Fleet, liberated Sevastopol. Sevastopol received the title of Hero City May 8, 1965
Odessa
Already in August 1941, Odessa was completely surrounded by Nazi troops. Its heroic defense lasted 73 days, during which the Soviet army and militia units defended the city from enemy invasion. From the mainland side, Odessa was defended by the Primorsky Army, from the sea - by ships of the Black Sea Fleet, with the support of artillery from the shore. To capture the city, the enemy threw forces five times larger than its defenders.
Thanks to the dedication of the Soviet troops and the heroes of the people's militia, more than 160,000 German soldiers were killed, 200 enemy aircraft and 100 tanks were destroyed.
But the city was still taken on October 16, 1941. guerrilla warfare. Odessa was liberated on April 10, 1944, and on May 1, 1945, in the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, it was named a Hero City for the first time. Odessa was officially awarded the title City Hero May 8, 1965
Summing up the defense of Odessa, the newspaper Pravda wrote:
“The entire Soviet country, the whole world followed with admiration the courageous struggle of the defenders of Odessa. They left the city without tarnishing their honor, maintaining their combat effectiveness, ready for new battles with the fascist hordes. And no matter what front the defenders of Odessa fight on, everywhere they will serve as an example of valor, courage, and heroism.”
Brest Fortress
Central Museum of the Armed Forces. Part of the wall of one of the casemates in the northwestern part of the Brest Fortress. Caption: “I'm dying, but I'm not giving up. Goodbye, Motherland. 20/VII-41". Lev Polikashin/RIA Novosti Of all the cities of the Soviet Union, it was Brest that had the fate of being the first to face the aggression of the Nazi invaders. In the early morning of June 22, 1941, the Brest Fortress was bombed by the enemy, in which at that time there were approximately 7 thousand Soviet soldiers and members of the families of their commanders.
The German command expected to capture the fortress within a few hours, but the 45th Wehrmacht division was stuck in Brest for a week and, with significant losses, suppressed individual pockets of resistance of the heroic defenders of Brest for another month. As a result, the Brest Fortress became a symbol of courage, heroic fortitude and valor during the Great Patriotic War.
The decree conferring the honorary title “Hero Fortress” on the Brest Fortress was signed on May 8, 1965.
Kyiv
Destroyed Independence Square in Kyiv in a photograph from 1942 German troops launched a surprise attack on the city of Kyiv from the air on June 22, 1941 - in the very first hours of the war, and on July 6 a committee for its defense had already been created. From that day on, the heroic struggle for the city began, which lasted for 72 days.
Kyiv was defended not only by Soviet soldiers, but also by ordinary residents. Huge efforts were made for this by militia units, of which there were nineteen by the beginning of July. Also, 13 fighter battalions were formed from among the townspeople, and in total, 33,000 people from the city’s residents took part in the defense of Kyiv. In those difficult July days, the people of Kiev built more than 1,400 pillboxes and manually dug 55 kilometers of anti-tank ditches.
The courage and courage of the defenders’ heroes stopped the enemy advance on the first line of the city’s fortifications. The Nazis failed to take Kyiv in a raid. However, on July 30, 1941, the fascist army made a new attempt to storm the city. On the tenth of August, she managed to break through the defenses on its southwestern outskirts, but through the joint efforts of the people's militia and regular troops they managed to give a worthy rebuff to the enemy. By August 15, 1941, the militia drove the Nazis back to their previous positions.
Enemy losses near Kiev numbered more than 100,000 people. The Nazis did not undertake any more direct assaults on the city; seventeen fascist German divisions were “stuck” in battle for a long time under it. Such prolonged resistance by the city’s defenders forced the enemy to withdraw part of the forces from the offensive in the Moscow direction and transfer them to Kyiv, due to which the Soviet soldiers were forced to retreat on September 19, 1941.
The Nazi invaders who occupied the city inflicted enormous damage on it, establishing a regime of brutal occupation. More than 200,000 Kiev residents were killed, and about 100,000 people were sent to Germany for forced labor.
Kyiv was liberated on November 6, 1943. In honor of the feat of Soviet citizens, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1961 established a new award - the medal “For the Defense of Kyiv.”
In 1965 Kyiv was awarded the title of Hero City.
Kerch
Soviet Marines they install a ship's jack on the highest point of Kerch - Mount Mithridates. April 1944. Photo by E. A. Khaldei. During the fighting in Kerch, more than 85% of the buildings were destroyed, the liberators were met just over 30 residents of the city out of almost 100 thousand inhabitants in 1940.
In mid-November 1941, after two weeks of fierce fighting on the Kerch Peninsula, the city was captured by the Nazis. On December 30, 1941, during the Kerch-Feodosia landing operation, Kerch was liberated by troops of the 51st Army of the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Military Flotilla. But the Nazis really needed Crimea. In May 1942, the Germans concentrated large forces on the Kerch Peninsula and launched a new offensive. After terrible, stubborn battles, the city again found itself in the hands of the Nazis. No, defenders have nothing to be ashamed of. They fought to the death.
An example is the heroic, long and persistent struggle of the partisans in Adzhimushkai quarries(“Adzhimushkay” - translated as “Bitter Gray Stone”). When the marines liberated Kerch and the village of Adzhimushkay and descended into the quarries, they, war-hardened sailors, were shocked by what they saw: ...the further into the depths of the stone galleries, the more difficult it is to breathe. It smells like centuries of dampness. Cold. There are rags and sheets of paper on the floor. And human remains.
A sheet taken at random is another shock. This is the daily distribution of different products per person: 15 grams, 10 grams, 5 grams. And in the next compartment there are dozens of corpses Soviet soldiers. In greatcoats, in bandages, reclining, with their heads thrown back - in these positions death found them. There are weapons and gas masks nearby. Rifle and machine gun magazines are empty: people fought to the last bullet.
Gloom and a heavy grave spirit complete the ominous picture. The shocked sailors realized that this was self-sacrifice in the name of the Fatherland.
With the name of the heroes of Adzhimushkai, the soldiers later liberated Kerch, Crimea, and Sevastopol. There were 15 thousand people in the Adzhimushkai quarries, there was not enough food, water, and not enough air. The brutal fascists threw lit gas bombs at the catacombs. To combat them, the defenders set up vigils and threw burning bombs into sandboxes. Then the Nazis began to pump gas with a compressor and drilled holes in the walls for hoses. But the defenders found a way out. They tied the hoses in a knot. Then the Germans began to pump gas directly through the holes. And here the defenders found a way out - they created gas-tight walls.
Problem No. 1 for the underground garrison was water. People sucked water from damp walls and collected drops into mugs. It was very difficult for exhausted people to dig wells, many died. And the Nazis, if they heard the sound of a pickaxe, blew up this place, realizing that people were looking for water. Notes from the defenders have been preserved. They show how difficult it was for the fighters. And when our troops left Sevastopol, the Germans intensified their psychological attack:
"Give up. We promise you. You were left alone in Crimea, everyone gave up.”
But the fighters understood that they were holding German troops and were not allowing them to go to Taman. They fulfilled their duty to the Motherland with honor. The members of the underground garrison did not sit in the catacombs. They came to the surface at night, destroyed enemy firing points, obtained food and weapons. Many died in battle, others were unable to return from weakness and died.
The defense was led by P. M. Yagunov, who died from a stray German grenade.
Children were also in the quarries along with the adults. Name IN Olody Dubinina known to many in Russia. The boy was a scout. Knowing every stone in the quarries, all the passages, thin and small young scouts could crawl into holes that adults could not, and obtain the information necessary for the partisans. Volodya lived to see the Victory. I met with my mother and washed myself of the multi-layered soot and dirt. Everything seemed fine, but the Germans, retreating, mined many of the entrances to the quarries, and there were still people there. Volodya, who knew the quarries well, could not help but help the sappers. One of the bombs exploded. The brave boy died. Posthumously awarded to him high rank Hero of the Soviet Union.
The occupiers were in control for only a month and a half for the first time, but the consequences were monstrous. “Bagerovsky Ditch” - here the Nazis shot 7 thousand people. It was from here that the Soviet Commission for the Investigation of Fascist Crimes began its work. The materials of this investigation were presented at the Nuremberg trials.
Bagerovo anti-tank ditch near Kerch For outstanding services to the Motherland and mass heroism, courage and fortitude in 1973(on the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Crimea), the city of Kerch was awarded the honorary title “Hero City” with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Minsk
Belarusian partisans on Lenin Square in Minsk, after the liberation of the city from the Nazi invaders. 1944 V. Lupeiko/RIA Novosti In the very first days of the Nazi invasion of the USSR in June 1941, Minsk was subjected to devastating raids by German aircraft. Despite the stubborn resistance of the Red Army, the city was captured on the sixth day of the war. During the three-year occupation in Minsk and its environs, the Germans killed more than 400 thousand people, and the city itself was turned into ruins and ashes. They destroyed 80% of residential buildings, almost all factories, power plants, scientific institutions and theaters. Despite the terror of the occupiers, a patriotic underground operated in the city.
The city of Minsk and the Minsk region were the center of the partisan movement in the BSSR.
Minsk was liberated by Soviet troops on July 3, 1944. Now this date is celebrated as Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus. In 1974 In commemoration of the merits of the city's citizens in the fight against Nazism, Minsk received the title Hero City.
Why is the title of “city of military glory” awarded?
Stella of cities of military glory in the Alexander Garden. Photo: poznamka.ru The title “city of military glory” did not exist in the USSR; it was approved by Vladimir Putin in 2006. The title of city of military glory is awarded to cities “on the territory of which or in the immediate vicinity of which, during fierce battles, the defenders of the Fatherland showed courage, fortitude and mass heroism.”
In the city that received this title, a special stele is installed. February 23, May 9 and City Day are held holiday events and fireworks.
The title of city of military glory can also be awarded to a hero city.
Which Russian cities have been awarded the title of “City of Military Glory”?
Today in Russia there are 45 Cities of Military Glory: Belgorod, Kursk, Orel, Vladikavkaz, Malgobek, Rzhev, Yelnya, Yelets, Voronezh, Meadows, Polyarny, Rostov-on-Don, Tuapse, Velikiye Luki, Veliky Novgorod, Dmitrov, Vyazma, Kronstadt, Naro-Fominsk, Pskov, Kozelsk, Arkhangelsk, Volokolamsk, Bryansk, Nalchik, Vyborg, Kalach-on-Don, Vladivostok, Tikhvin, Tver, Anapa, Kolpino, Stary Oskol, Kovrov, Lomonosov, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Taganrog, Maroyaroslavets, Mozhaisk, Khabarovsk, Staraya Russa, Gatchina, Petrozavodsk, Grozny and Feodosia.
In the city awarded the title “City of Military Glory”:
- a stele is installed with the image of the city’s coat of arms and the text of the decree of the President of the Russian Federation on conferring this title on the city;
- Public events and fireworks are held on February 23 (Defender of the Fatherland Day), May 9 (Victory Day), as well as on City Day or the Day of the city’s liberation from Nazi invaders (for example, Tikhvin).
June 21, 1941, 13:00. German troops receive the code signal "Dortmund", confirming that the invasion will begin the next day.
Commander of the 2nd Tank Group of Army Group Center Heinz Guderian writes in his diary: “Careful observation of the Russians convinced me that they did not suspect anything about our intentions. In the courtyard of the Brest fortress, which was visible from our observation points, they were changing the guards to the sounds of an orchestra. The coastal fortifications along the Western Bug were not occupied by Russian troops."
21:00. Soldiers of the 90th border detachment of the Sokal commandant's office detained a German serviceman who crossed the border Bug River by swimming. The defector was sent to the detachment headquarters in the city of Vladimir-Volynsky.
23:00. German minelayers stationed in Finnish ports began to mine the exit from the Gulf of Finland. At the same time, Finnish submarines began laying mines off the coast of Estonia.
June 22, 1941, 0:30. The defector was taken to Vladimir-Volynsky. During interrogation, the soldier identified himself Alfred Liskov, soldiers of the 221st Regiment of the 15th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht. He said that at dawn on June 22, the German army would go on the offensive along the entire length of the Soviet-German border. The information was transferred to higher command.
At the same time, the transmission of Directive No. 1 of the People's Commissariat of Defense for parts of the western military districts began from Moscow. “During June 22-23, 1941, a surprise attack by the Germans is possible on the fronts of LVO, PribOVO, ZAPOVO, KOVO, OdVO. An attack may begin with provocative actions,” the directive said. “The task of our troops is not to succumb to any provocative actions that could cause major complications.”
The units were ordered to be put on combat readiness, to secretly occupy firing points of fortified areas on the state border, and to disperse aircraft to field airfields.
It is not possible to convey the directive to military units before the start of hostilities, as a result of which the measures specified in it are not carried out.
Mobilization. Columns of fighters are moving to the front. Photo: RIA Novosti
“I realized that it was the Germans who opened fire on our territory”
1:00. The commandants of the sections of the 90th border detachment report to the head of the detachment, Major Bychkovsky: “nothing suspicious was noticed on the adjacent side, everything is calm.”
3:05 . A group of 14 German Ju-88 bombers drops 28 magnetic mines near the Kronstadt roadstead.
3:07. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky, reports to the Chief of the General Staff, General Zhukov: “The fleet's air surveillance, warning and communications system reports the approach of a large number of unknown aircraft from the sea; The fleet is in full combat readiness."
3:10. The NKGB for the Lviv region transmits by telephone message to the NKGB of the Ukrainian SSR the information obtained during the interrogation of the defector Alfred Liskov.
From the memoirs of the chief of the 90th border detachment, Major Bychkovsky: “Without finishing the interrogation of the soldier, I heard strong artillery fire in the direction of Ustilug (the first commandant’s office). I realized that it was the Germans who opened fire on our territory, which was immediately confirmed by the interrogated soldier. I immediately began to call the commandant by phone, but the connection was broken...”3:30. Chief of Staff of the Western District General Klimovsky reports on enemy air raids on the cities of Belarus: Brest, Grodno, Lida, Kobrin, Slonim, Baranovichi and others.
3:33. The chief of staff of the Kyiv district, General Purkaev, reports on an air raid on the cities of Ukraine, including Kyiv.
3:40. Commander of the Baltic Military District General Kuznetsov reports on enemy air raids on Riga, Siauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas and other cities.
“The enemy raid has been repulsed. An attempt to strike our ships was foiled."
3:42. Chief of the General Staff Zhukov is calling Stalin and reports the start of hostilities by Germany. Stalin orders Tymoshenko and Zhukov arrive at the Kremlin, where an emergency meeting of the Politburo is convened.
3:45. The 1st border outpost of the 86th August border detachment was attacked by an enemy reconnaissance and sabotage group. Outpost personnel under command Alexandra Sivacheva, having entered into battle, destroys the attackers.
4:00. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky, reports to Zhukov: “The enemy raid has been repulsed. An attempt to strike our ships was foiled. But there is destruction in Sevastopol.”
4:05. The outposts of the 86th August Border Detachment, including the 1st Border Outpost of Senior Lieutenant Sivachev, come under heavy artillery fire, after which the German offensive begins. Border guards, deprived of communication with the command, engage in battle with superior enemy forces.
4:10. The Western and Baltic special military districts report the beginning of hostilities by German troops on the ground.
4:15. The Nazis open massive artillery fire on the Brest Fortress. As a result, warehouses were destroyed, communications were disrupted, there is big number killed and wounded.
4:25. The 45th Wehrmacht Infantry Division begins an attack on the Brest Fortress.
Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Residents of the capital on June 22, 1941, during the radio announcement of a government message about a treacherous attack fascist Germany to the Soviet Union. Photo: RIA Novosti
“Protecting not individual countries, but ensuring the security of Europe”
4:30. A meeting of Politburo members begins in the Kremlin. Stalin expresses doubt that what happened is the beginning of a war and does not exclude the possibility of a German provocation. People's Commissar of Defense Timoshenko and Zhukov insist: this is war.
4:55. In the Brest Fortress, the Nazis manage to capture almost half of the territory. Further progress was stopped by a sudden counterattack by the Red Army.
5:00. German Ambassador to the USSR Count von Schulenburg presented to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR Molotov“Note from the German Foreign Office to the Soviet Government,” which states: “The German Government cannot remain indifferent to the serious threat on the eastern border, therefore the Fuehrer has ordered the German Armed Forces to ward off this threat by all means.” An hour after the actual start of hostilities, Germany de jure declares war on the Soviet Union.
5:30. On German radio, the Reich Minister of Propaganda Goebbels reads out the appeal Adolf Hitler to the German people in connection with the outbreak of war against the Soviet Union: “Now the hour has come when it is necessary to speak out against this conspiracy of the Jewish-Anglo-Saxon warmongers and also the Jewish rulers of the Bolshevik center in Moscow... In this moment“The greatest military action in terms of its length and volume that the world has ever seen is taking place... The task of this front is no longer to protect individual countries, but to ensure the security of Europe and thereby save everyone.”7:00. Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs Ribbentrop begins a press conference at which he announces the beginning of hostilities against the USSR: “The German army has invaded the territory of Bolshevik Russia!”
“The city is burning, why aren’t you broadcasting anything on the radio?”
7:15. Stalin approves a directive to repel the attack of Nazi Germany: “The troops with all their might and means attack enemy forces and destroy them in areas where they violated the Soviet border.” Transfer of “directive No. 2” due to saboteurs’ disruption of communication lines in the western districts. Moscow does not have a clear picture of what is happening in the combat zone.
9:30. It was decided that at noon, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov would address the Soviet people in connection with the outbreak of war.
10:00. From the speaker's memories Yuri Levitan: “They’re calling from Minsk: “Enemy planes are over the city,” they’re calling from Kaunas: “The city is burning, why aren’t you broadcasting anything on the radio?” “Enemy planes are over Kiev.” A woman’s crying, excitement: “Is it really war?..” However, no official messages are transmitted until 12:00 Moscow time on June 22.
10:30. From a report from the headquarters of the 45th German division about the battles on the territory of the Brest Fortress: “The Russians are resisting fiercely, especially behind our attacking companies. In the citadel, the enemy organized a defense with infantry units supported by 35-40 tanks and armored vehicles. Enemy sniper fire resulted in heavy casualties among officers and non-commissioned officers."
11:00. The Baltic, Western and Kiev special military districts were transformed into the North-Western, Western and South-Western fronts.
“The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours"
12:00. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov reads out an appeal to the citizens of the Soviet Union: “Today at 4 o’clock in the morning, without making any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed us with their planes attacked our cities - Zhitomir, Kiev, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others, and more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Raids by enemy planes and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory... Now that the attack on the Soviet Union has already taken place, the Soviet government has given an order to our troops to repel the bandit attack and expel German troops from the territory of our homeland... The government calls on you, citizens and citizens of the Soviet Union, to rally our ranks even more closely around our glorious Bolshevik Party, around our Soviet government, around our great leader, Comrade Stalin.
Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours" .
12:30. Advanced German units break into the Belarusian city of Grodno.
13:00.
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issues a decree “On the mobilization of those liable for military service...”
“Based on Article 49, paragraph “o” of the USSR Constitution, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR announces mobilization on the territory of the military districts - Leningrad, Baltic special, Western special, Kiev special, Odessa, Kharkov, Oryol, Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Ural, Siberian, Volga, North -Caucasian and Transcaucasian.
13:30. Chief of the General Staff General Zhukov flies to Kyiv as a representative of the newly created Headquarters of the Main Command on the Southwestern Front.
Photo: RIA Novosti
14:00. The Brest Fortress is completely surrounded by German troops. Soviet units blocked in the citadel continue to offer fierce resistance.
14:05. Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano states: “In view of the current situation, due to the fact that Germany declared war on the USSR, Italy, as an ally of Germany and as a member of the Tripartite Pact, also declares war on the Soviet Union from the moment German troops entered Soviet territory.”
14:10. The 1st border outpost of Alexander Sivachev has been fighting for more than 10 hours. Those who only had weapon and grenades, the border guards destroyed up to 60 Nazis and burned three tanks. The wounded commander of the outpost continued to command the battle.
15:00. From the notes of the commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal von Bock: “The question of whether the Russians are carrying out a systematic withdrawal remains open. There is now plenty of evidence both for and against this.
What is surprising is that nowhere is any significant work of their artillery visible. Heavy artillery fire is conducted only in the northwest of Grodno, where the VIII Army Corps is advancing. Apparently, our air force has an overwhelming superiority over Russian aviation."
Of the 485 border posts attacked, not a single one withdrew without orders.
16:00. After a 12-hour battle, the Nazis took the positions of the 1st border outpost. This became possible only after all the border guards who defended it died. The head of the outpost, Alexander Sivachev, was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.
The feat of the outpost of Senior Lieutenant Sivachev was one of hundreds committed by border guards in the first hours and days of the war. On June 22, 1941, the state border of the USSR from the Barents to the Black Sea was guarded by 666 border outposts, 485 of which were attacked on the very first day of the war. Not one of the 485 outposts attacked on June 22 withdrew without orders.
Hitler's command allotted 20 minutes to break the resistance of the border guards. 257 Soviet border posts held their defense from several hours to one day. More than one day - 20, more than two days - 16, more than three days - 20, more than four and five days - 43, from seven to nine days - 4, more than eleven days - 51, more than twelve days - 55, more than 15 days - 51 outpost. Forty-five outposts fought for up to two months.
Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. The workers of Leningrad listen to a message about the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union. Photo: RIA Novosti
Of the 19,600 border guards who met the Nazis on June 22 in the direction of the main attack of Army Group Center, more than 16,000 died in the first days of the war.
17:00. Hitler's units manage to occupy southwestern part Brest Fortress, the northeast remained under the control of Soviet troops. Stubborn battles for the fortress will continue for weeks.
“The Church of Christ blesses all Orthodox Christians for the defense of the sacred borders of our Motherland”
18:00. The Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow and Kolomna, addresses the believers with a message: “Fascist robbers attacked our homeland. Trampling all kinds of agreements and promises, they suddenly fell upon us, and now the blood of peaceful citizens is already irrigating our native land... Our Orthodox Church has always shared the fate of the people. She endured trials with him and was consoled by his successes. She will not abandon her people even now... The Church of Christ blesses all Orthodox Christians for their protection sacred boundaries our Motherland."
19:00. From the notes of the Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht Ground Forces, Colonel General Franz Halder: “All armies, except the 11th Army of Army Group South in Romania, went on the offensive according to plan. The offensive of our troops, apparently, came as a complete tactical surprise to the enemy along the entire front. Border bridges across the Bug and other rivers were everywhere captured by our troops without a fight and in complete safety. The complete surprise of our offensive for the enemy is evidenced by the fact that the units were taken by surprise in a barracks arrangement, the planes were parked at airfields, covered with tarpaulins, and the advanced units, suddenly attacked by our troops, asked the command about what to do... The Air Force command reported, that today 850 enemy aircraft have been destroyed, including entire squadrons of bombers, which, having taken off without fighter cover, were attacked by our fighters and destroyed.”
20:00. Directive No. 3 of the People's Commissariat of Defense was approved, ordering Soviet troops to launch a counteroffensive with the task of defeating Hitler's troops on the territory of the USSR with further advance into enemy territory. The directive ordered the capture of the Polish city of Lublin by the end of June 24.
Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. June 22, 1941 Nurses provide assistance to the first wounded after a Nazi air raid near Chisinau. Photo: RIA Novosti
“We must provide Russia and the Russian people with all the help we can.”
21:00. Summary of the Red Army High Command for June 22: “At dawn on June 22, 1941, regular troops of the German army attacked our border units on the front from the Baltic to the Black Sea and were held back by them during the first half of the day. In the afternoon, German troops met with the advanced units of the field troops of the Red Army. After fierce fighting, the enemy was repulsed with heavy losses. Only in the Grodno and Kristinopol directions did the enemy manage to achieve minor tactical successes and occupy the towns of Kalwaria, Stoyanuv and Tsekhanovets (the first two are 15 km and the last 10 km from the border).
Enemy aircraft attacked a number of our airfields and settlements, but everywhere it met decisive resistance from our fighters and anti-aircraft artillery, which inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. We shot down 65 enemy aircraft.”
23:00. Message from the Prime Minister of Great Britain Winston Churchill to the British people in connection with the German attack on the USSR: “At 4 o'clock this morning Hitler attacked Russia. All his usual formalities of treachery were observed with scrupulous precision... suddenly, without a declaration of war, even without an ultimatum, German bombs fell from the sky on Russian cities, German troops violated Russian borders, and an hour later the German ambassador, who just the day before had generously lavished his assurances on the Russians in friendship and almost an alliance, paid a visit to the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs and declared that Russia and Germany were at war...
No one has been more staunchly opposed to communism over the past 25 years than I have been. I will not take back a single word that was said about him. But all this pales in comparison to the spectacle unfolding now.The past, with its crimes, follies and tragedies, recedes. I see Russian soldiers as they stand on the border native land and guard the fields which their fathers have plowed since time immemorial. I see them guarding their homes; their mothers and wives pray—oh, yes, because at such a time everyone prays for the safety of their loved ones, for the return of their breadwinner, patron, their protectors...
We must provide Russia and the Russian people with all the help we can. We must call on all our friends and allies in all parts of the world to pursue a similar course and pursue it as steadfastly and steadily as we will, to the very end.”
June 22 came to an end. There were still 1417 days ahead terrible war in the history of mankind.
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