Heavy battles of the Second World War. Major battles of the Great Patriotic War

In the four years that passed between the undeclared start of the war and the signing of the German surrender, the parties fought countless battles. Some of them are forever included in military history as the battles that determined the outcome of the most terrible war in human history. Today Primorskaya Gazeta will remember the five most significant battles of the Great Patriotic War.

1. Battle of Moscow (1941 - 1942)

At the beginning of September 1941, the German command began preparing the operation to capture Moscow. The plan of the operation included powerful blows large groups encircle the main forces of the Red Army troops covering the capital and destroy them in the areas of Bryansk and Vyazma, and then quickly bypass Moscow from the north and south with the aim of capturing it. The operation to capture Moscow was codenamed “Typhoon”.

Red Army soldiers go straight from the parade to the front

To implement this plan, the German command managed to create an impressive superiority in manpower and equipment in the directions of the main attacks.

The general offensive of German troops began on September 30, 1941, and by October 7 they managed to encircle four Soviet armies west of Vyazma and two south of Bryansk. The path to Moscow, as the German command believed, was open. But the plans of the fascists were not destined to come true. The encircled Soviet armies pinned down about 20 German divisions in stubborn battles for two weeks. At this time, the Mozhaisk defense line was hastily strengthened, and reserve troops were urgently brought up. Georgy Zhukov was recalled from the Leningrad Front and took command of the Western Front on October 10.

Despite big losses, the Germans continued to rush towards Moscow. They captured Kalinin, Mozhaisk, Maloyaroslavets. In mid-October, the evacuation of government agencies, the diplomatic corps, industrial enterprises, and the population from Moscow began. The rush to evacuate created confusion and panic. Rumors spread throughout Moscow about the planned surrender of the city to the Germans. This forced the State Defense Committee to introduce a state of siege in Moscow from October 20.

By the beginning of November, the city’s defenders managed to stop the enemy’s advance, and on December 5 Soviet troops, having repelled a number of attacks, went on the offensive. On the fields of the Moscow region, Germany suffered its first major defeat in World War II, and the myth of the invincibility of its army was dispelled. The Germans lost a total of more than half a million people, 1,300 tanks, 2,500 guns, more than 15 thousand vehicles and much other equipment.

2. Battle of Stalingrad (1942 - 1943)

Encouraged by the successes near Moscow, the Soviet leadership tried to seize the strategic initiative and in May 1942 launched large forces on the offensive near Kharkov. For the Wehrmacht, this operation came as a complete surprise, and at first the Soviet offensive was a serious threat to the German Army Group South.

German military leaders, however, demonstrated that they were capable of making bold decisions in critical situations, and thanks to the concentration of troops on a narrow section of the front, they were able to break through the Soviet defenses, take the attacking group into a “cauldron” and defeat it.

Street fighting in Stalingrad

The “Kharkov disaster” became a serious blow in terms of the morale of the USSR army, but the worst consequence was that the road to the Caucasus and the Volga direction was no longer covered by anyone.

In May 1942, the Fuehrer of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler, personally intervened in strategic planning and ordered the division of Army Group South into two groups. One of them was supposed to continue the attack on the northern Caucasus, and group “B”, including the 6th Army of Paulus and the 4th tank army Gotha was supposed to move east towards the Volga and Stalingrad.

The capture of Stalingrad was very important for Hitler for several reasons. It was a large industrial city on the banks of the Volga, along which and along which strategically important transport routes ran, connecting the Center of Russia with the Southern regions of the USSR. The capture of Stalingrad would have allowed the Nazis to cut off the water and land communications vital for the USSR, reliably cover the left flank of the German troops advancing in the Caucasus and create serious problems with supplies to the units of the Red Army opposing them. Finally, the very fact that the city bore the name of Stalin, Hitler’s ideological enemy, made the capture of the city a winning ideological and propaganda move.

However, the defenders of Stalingrad managed not only to defend their city, but also to encircle and then destroy the enemy army along with the formations rushing to its aid.

German fighter shot down in the sky over Stalingrad

From January 10 to February 2, 1943 alone, over 91 thousand people were captured, including two and a half thousand officers and 24 generals. In total, during the Battle of Stalingrad, the enemy lost about one and a half million people killed, wounded, captured and missing - a quarter of their forces operating on the Soviet-German front.

The victory of the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad had enormous political and international significance; it had a significant impact on the development of the Resistance Movement in the territories of European states occupied by the fascist invaders. As a result of the battle, the Soviet armed forces wrested the strategic initiative from the enemy and retained it until the end of the war.

3. Battle of Kursk(1943)

The successes achieved at Stalingrad were consolidated in the summer of that year.

During the winter offensive of the Red Army and the subsequent counter-offensive of the Wehrmacht in Eastern Ukraine, a protrusion up to 150 kilometers deep and up to 200 kilometers wide, facing west, was formed in the center of the Soviet-German front - the so-called “Kursk Bulge”. The German command, flattering itself with the hope of regaining the strategic initiative, decided to conduct a strategic operation on the Kursk salient. For this purpose, a military operation codenamed “Citadel” was developed and approved. Having information about the preparation of enemy troops for an offensive, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command decided to temporarily go on the defensive on the Kursk Bulge and, during the defensive battle, bleed the enemy’s strike forces and thereby create favorable conditions for the Soviet troops to launch a counteroffensive, and then a general strategic offensive.

Soviet soldiers advance under the cover of tanks

To carry out Operation Citadel, the German command concentrated in a narrow area about 70% of tank, up to 30% of motorized and more than 20% of infantry divisions, as well as over 65% of all combat aircraft operating on the Soviet-German front.

On July 5, 1943, German attack groups, according to the operation plan, began an attack on Kursk from the Orel and Belgorod areas, and on July 12, in the area of the Prokhorovka railway station, 56 kilometers north of Belgorod, the largest counter attack occurred tank battle World War II. On both sides, up to 1,200 tanks and self-propelled units. The fierce battle lasted all day; by evening, tank crews and infantry were fighting hand-to-hand.

Despite the massive scale of the offensive, Soviet troops managed to stop the enemy’s advance deeper into the Kursk ledge, and just a day later, troops from the Bryansk, Central and Western fronts organized a counteroffensive. By July 18, the Soviet army had completely eliminated the enemy wedge in the Kursk direction; a little later, troops of the Steppe Front were brought into the battle and began pursuing the retreating enemy.

Red Army counteroffensive

Developing the offensive, Soviet ground forces, supported by air strikes from two air armies, as well as long-range aviation, pushed the enemy to the west and liberated Orel, Belgorod and Kharkov.

According to Soviet sources, the Wehrmacht lost over 500 thousand soldiers and officers, 1.5 thousand tanks, more than 3.7 thousand aircraft, and three thousand guns in the Battle of Kursk. The losses of Soviet troops were even worse. 863 thousand people did not return from the battle, and the armored fleet was depleted by six thousand vehicles.

However, the demographic resources of the USSR were much higher than the German ones, so the Battle of Kursk was more difficult for the invaders. The balance of forces at the front changed sharply in favor of the Red Army, which provided it with favorable conditions for the deployment of a general strategic offensive. The whole world realized that defeat fascist Germany– it’s a matter of time.

4. Belarusian operation (1944)

One of the largest military operations in human history, in which up to four million people took part on both sides (according to various sources).

By June 1944, the front line in the east approached the line Vitebsk - Orsha - Mogilev - Zhlobin, forming a huge protrusion - a wedge facing deep into the USSR, the so-called “Belarusian balcony”. If in Ukraine the Red Army managed to achieve a series of impressive successes (almost the entire territory of the republic was liberated, the Wehrmacht suffered heavy losses in the chain of “cauldrons”), then when trying to break through in the direction of Minsk in the winter of 1943-1944, the successes, on the contrary, were quite modest.

Artillery attack on German positions

At the same time, by the end of the spring of 1944, the offensive in the south slowed down, and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, on the initiative of Konstantin Rokossovsky, decided to change the direction of efforts.

The goal of the operation was the defeat of the German Army Group Center and the liberation of Belarus with subsequent access to the territories of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. This offensive operation was included in the operational documents of the Headquarters under the code name “Bagration”.

The operation plan provided for a simultaneous breakthrough of the enemy’s defenses in six sections of the “Belarusian Balcony”.

The operation consisted of two stages. During the first, which lasted from June 23 to July 4, Soviet troops broke through the front and, with the help of a series of enveloping maneuvers, surrounded large German groups. Near Bobruisk, Soviet troops for the first time used a massive air strike to destroy the encircled group, which disorganized and scattered the German units going for a breakthrough.

To the west!

As a result, the main forces of Army Group Center were defeated, a 400-kilometer gap was formed in the center of the Soviet-German front, and Soviet troops were able to advance to the West. A huge role in this operation was played by Belarusian partisans, who disorganized the operational rear of the Germans, paralyzing their transfer of reserves.

At the second stage (July 5 - August 29), operations were carried out that ensured that Soviet troops continued to advance deeper into territories that had recently been under enemy control.

During the Belarusian operation, the USSR army liberated all of Belarus, most of Lithuania and Latvia, entered the territory of Poland and advanced to the borders of East Prussia. For carrying out the operation, Army General Konstantin Rokossovsky received the rank of marshal.

5. Berlin operation (1945)

One of the last strategic operations of Soviet troops in the European theater of operations, during which the Red Army occupied the capital of Germany and victoriously ended the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War in Europe. The operation lasted 23 days - from April 16 to May 8, 1945, during which Soviet troops advanced westward to a distance of 100 to 220 km.

After the fighting on the streets of Berlin

At the final stage of the Great Patriotic War, the world community no longer had any doubts that anti-Hitler coalition will win the protracted war. However, the German leadership hoped to the last to mitigate the consequences of the war. In particular, the Germans wanted to conclude a separate peace with Great Britain and the United States, and then, left alone with the Soviet Union, gradually restore strategic equality.

Therefore, the Soviet command was required to make quick and bold decisions aimed at ending the war as quickly as possible. It was necessary to prepare and carry out an operation to defeat a group of German troops in the Berlin direction, capture Berlin and reach the Elbe River to join the Allied forces. The successful completion of this strategic task made it possible to thwart the plans of the Nazi leadership.

To carry out the operation, troops of three fronts were involved: the 2nd Belorussian under the leadership of Marshal Rokossovsky, the 1st Belorussian (Marshal G.K. Zhukov) and the 1st Ukrainian (Marshal I.S. Konev). In total, the attacking troops included up to 2.5 million soldiers and officers, 41,600 guns and mortars, 6,250 tanks and self-propelled artillery units, 7,500 aircraft, as well as part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet and the Dnieper Military Flotilla.

Based on the nature of the tasks performed and the results, the Berlin operation was divided into three stages. First, the Oder-Neissen line of enemy defense was broken through, then the enemy troops were surrounded and dismembered.

April 30, 1945 at 21:30 part of the 150th rifle division under the command of Major General V.M. Shatilov and the 171st Infantry Division under the command of Colonel A.I. Negoda stormed the main part of the Reichstag building. The remaining Nazi units offered stubborn resistance. We had to fight for every room. In the early morning of May 1, the assault flag of the 150th Infantry Division was raised over the Reichstag, but the battle for the Reichstag continued all day, and only on the night of May 2 did the Reichstag garrison capitulate.

On May 1, only the Tiergarten district and the government quarter remained in German hands. The imperial chancellery was located here, in the courtyard of which there was a bunker at Hitler's headquarters. On the night of May 1, by prior arrangement at the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army the boss arrived General Staff German ground forces General Krebs. He informed the army commander, General V.I. Chuikov, about Hitler’s suicide and the proposal of the new German government to conclude a truce. However, the German government rejected the demand for unconditional surrender, and Soviet troops resumed the assault with renewed vigor.

Soviet soldiers against the backdrop of the captured Reichstag

At one o'clock in the morning on May 2, the radio stations of the 1st Belorussian Front received a message in Russian: “We ask you to cease fire. We are sending envoys to the Potsdam Bridge." Arrived at the appointed place German officer on behalf of the commander of the defense of Berlin, General Weidling, announced the readiness of the Berlin garrison to stop resistance. At 6 a.m. on May 2, Artillery General Weidling, accompanied by three German generals, crossed the front line and surrendered. An hour later, while at the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army, he wrote a surrender order, which was duplicated and, with the help of loudspeaker installations and radio, delivered to enemy units defending in the center of Berlin. As this order was communicated to the defenders, resistance in the city ceased. By the end of the day, the troops of the 8th Guards Army cleared the central part of the city from the enemy. Individual units that did not want to surrender tried to break through to the west, but were destroyed or scattered.

Alexey Mikhaldyk

It's sad, but war has always been and is the most powerful engine in human history. It is difficult to judge whether this is good or bad; huge losses of people have always been replaced by progress in science and culture, in economics or industry. During the entire existence of mankind on earth, you can hardly count a couple of centuries when everyone lived in peace and harmony. Absolutely every battle changed the course of the entire history of mankind and left its imprint on the faces of its witnesses. And the most famous wars are not on this list, there are simply those that you need to know and remember always.

It is considered the last naval battle in the history of antiquity. The troops of Octavian Augustus and Mark Antony fought in this battle. The confrontation in 31 BC near Cape Actium is subsidized. Historians say that Octavian's victory played a huge role in the history of Rome and put an end to such a long civil war. Unable to survive his loss, Mark Antony soon committed suicide.

The famous battle between Greek and Persian troops took place on September 12, 490 BC near the tiny town of Marathon near Athens. The Persian ruler Darius madly wanted to subjugate all the cities of Greece. The disobedience of the inhabitants seriously angered the ruler, and he sent an army of 26,000 soldiers against them. Imagine his surprise that the Greek army, consisting of only 10,000 thousand people, withstood the onslaught and, in addition, completely defeated the enemy army. It seems that everything is as always, war is like war, and probably this battle remained only in the records of several historians, if not for the messenger. Having won the battle, the Greeks sent a messenger with good news. The messenger ran without stopping for more than 42 km. Arriving in the city, he proclaimed victory and unfortunately it was his last words. Since then, the battle not only began to be called a marathon, but also a distance of 42 km 195 meters became an indispensable length for athletics.

A naval battle between the Persians and Greeks took place in 480 BC near the island of Salamis. According to historical data, the Greek fleet consisted of 380 ships and could not in any way surpass the power of the 1000 ships of the Persian warriors, however, thanks to the unsurpassed command of Eurybiades, it was the Greeks who won the battle. It has been historically proven that the victory of Greece turned the entire course of events in the Greco-Persian civil strife.

This battle is popularly referred to as the “Battle of Tours.” The battle took place in 732 between the Frankish kingdom and Aquitaine, in the territory of the city of Tours. As a result of the battle, the troops of the Frankish kingdom won and thereby put an end to Islam on the territory of their state. It is believed that it was this victory that gave further development all of Christianity.

The most famous, sung in many works and films. The battle of the Novgorod Republic and the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality against the Livonian and Teutonic Orders. Historians suggest that the day of the battle was April 5, 1242. The battle gained its fame thanks to the brave knights who broke through the ice and went under the water in their full uniform. The result of the war was the signing of a peace treaty between the Teutonic Order and Novgorod.

On September 8, 1380, a battle took place on the Kulikovo Field, which became the main stage in the creation of the Russian state. The battle took place between the Moscow, Smolensk and Nizhny Novgorod principalities against the Horde of Mamai. In the battle, Russian troops suffered colossal losses in people, but, despite everything, they destroyed the enemy army forever. As time passed, many historians began to argue that it was this battle that became the “point of no return” for the pagan nomads.

The well-known battle of three emperors: Napoleon 1 and allies Frederick 1 (Austrian Empire) and Alexander 1 (Russian Empire). The battle took place on December 2, 1805 near Austerlitz. Despite the huge superiority in strength of the allied sides, Russia and Austria were defeated in the battle. Brilliant strategy and battle tactics brought Napoleon triumphant victory and glory.

The second major battle against Napoleon took place on June 18, 1815. France was opposed by the allied empire represented by Great Britain, the Netherlands, Hanover, Prussia, Nassau and Brunswick-Lüneburg. This was another attempt by Napoleon to prove his autocracy, but to his great surprise, Napoleon did not show the same brilliant strategy as at the Battle of Austerlitz and lost the battle. To date, historians have been able to accurately describe the entire course of the battle, and several films have even been made dedicated to the momentous Battle of Waterloo.

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Second world war left its own small piece in the history of every nation. This one is truly terrifying and at the same time great period changed the world beyond recognition. Almost every country played its role in this war. For the states of the former USSR, the Second World War occupies a special place in history. It even has a completely different name - the Great Patriotic War. This historical period was truly a turning point for the peoples modern Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries of the USSR. This war became a test of the courage, bravery and will of the great Soviet people.

The Soviet army proved its professionalism and indestructibility even in the face of such a terrible ideological enemy as Nazism.

Today, historians are constantly discussing the main battles of the Great Patriotic War. Many facts have still not been disclosed, due to the “great love” for the secrets of the Soviet government. we can highlight the main stages and battles of the Great Patriotic War. But, before characterizing them, it is necessary to remember the reasons that led to the military conflict between Hitler's Germany and Stalin's USSR.

Great Patriotic War - reasons

As we know, the Second World War began. The main escalation of the conflict was from Germany in the West. During this time, German Nazism developed in its classical form. Hitler's power was limitless. Although the leader actually declared war on all states, the USSR was in no hurry to enter into it due to the concluded Non-Aggression Pact.

It was signed on August 23, 1939. The contract stipulated neutral attitude The USSR to a war that Germany will wage against Western and European countries. Cooperation with other countries was also approved. Both parties were prohibited from participating in alliances that in one way or another were contrary to their interests. For such “tolerance” on the part of the Soviet Union, Germany pledged to return part of the territory it had lost. There is also a secret protocol in which the parties stipulated the division of power in Eastern Europe and Poland. In essence, this agreement was concluded with the aim of establishing mutual world domination. But there was one problem. From the very beginning, Germany did not want peace with the USSR. Of course, it was beneficial in the early stages of the war, but there was no talk of any mutual domination.

Germany's further actions can only be described in one word - betrayal. This vile step gave rise to the great battles of the Great Patriotic War. Already on June 22, 1941, Germany officially attacked the USSR. From this time on, the Great Patriotic War began. Next we will look at the main battles of the Great Patriotic War, which play an important role in the history of this period.

Moscow Battle

Wehrmacht troops used specific offensive tactics. Their attack was based on the cooperation of all branches of the military. At first, the enemy was subjected to heavy bombardment from the air. The planes were immediately followed by tanks, which literally burned out the enemy troops. At the very end, the German infantry began its action. Thanks to these tactics, enemy troops, led by General Bock, made their way to the center of the Soviet Union, Moscow, in September 1941. At the very beginning of the offensive, the German army consisted of 71.5 divisions, which is approximately 1,700,000 people. It also included 1,800 tanks, 15,100 guns, and 1,300 aircraft. According to these indicators, the German side was approximately five times larger than the Soviet side.

On September 30, 1941, the Germans launch an attack on Moscow. From the very first stages of the Moscow offensive, the Wehrmacht troops suffered significant setbacks. Already on October 17, the Soviet army under the command of Zhukov stopped the offensive by implementing Operation Typhoon. The bloodless enemy only had the strength to fight a positional war, so in January 1942 the Germans were defeated and driven back 100 kilometers from Moscow. This victory dispelled the myth of the indestructibility of the Fuhrer's army. Moscow was the frontier that had to be overcome on the path to victory. German army failed to cope with this task, so Hitler ultimately lost the war. But the battles of the Great Patriotic War do not end there. Below we look at the true turning point in this global conflict.

Battle of Stalingrad

Today we can highlight a lot of events for which the Great Patriotic War is known. The Battle of Stalingrad is the turning point that led to a devastating series of failures for the German army. The period of the Battle of Stalingrad can be divided into two stages: the beginning and the counteroffensive. On July 17, 1942, the famous Battle of Stalingrad began.

At this stage, German troops stopped in the city area. The Soviet army did not want to surrender it until the very end. The forces of the Soviet Union were also commanded by Marshal Timoshenko. They managed to completely paralyze the Germans, but the Soviet troops were surrounded. There were constant skirmishes in the city between small groups of Soviet and German soldiers. According to the recollections of veterans: “There was real hell in Stalingrad.” One of the Museums of Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) houses a rather interesting exhibit: bullets hitting each other. This indicates the intensity of hostilities in the city. As for strategic significance, it actually did not exist. This city was important to Hitler as a symbol of Stalin's power. Therefore, it was necessary to take him, and most importantly, to keep him. It follows that the city became the center of a clash of interests during the period when the Great Patriotic War took place. The Battle of Stalingrad made it possible to evaluate and compare the power of two ideological titans of the 20th century.

Counterattack at Stalingrad

The German army, led by General Paulus, at the time of the counteroffensive numbered 1,010,600 men, 600 tanks, 1,200 combat aircraft and about 10,000 guns. On the Soviet side there was almost the same number of military personnel and military equipment. The significant forces that our side brought up during the siege allowed us to go on the offensive on November 20, 1942 and encircle the Germans.

By the evening of January 31, 1943, the Stalingrad German group was eliminated. Such results were achieved thanks to the coordinated work of the three main fronts of the USSR. Battle of Stalingrad glorified along with other major battles of the Great Patriotic War. Because this event significantly undermined the strength of the German army. In other words, after Stalingrad, Germany was never able to restore its fighting power. In addition, the German command could not even imagine that the city would emerge from encirclement. But this happened, and further events were not in the Fuhrer’s favor.

Great Patriotic War: Battle of Kursk

After the events in the city of Stalingrad, the German army was never able to recover, however, it still posed a serious threat. On (the formed front line after the victory at Stalingrad) German troops gathered a significant number of their forces. The Soviet side was going to carry out a powerful attack in the area of the city of Kursk. In the early stages, German troops had significant victories. They were commanded by such famous German military leaders as G. Kluge and Manstein. The main task of the USSR troops was to prevent a new advance of the Nazi Army Center into the interior of the mainland. The situation changed radically on July 12, 1943.

Battle of Prokhorov 1943

They were unpredictable. One of these battles is the tank confrontation near the village of Prokhorovka. Over 1,000 tanks and self-propelled guns from both sides took part in it. After this battle, there were no questions left about who would win the war. The German army was defeated, although not completely. After the Battle of Prokhorov, USSR troops were able to launch a large-scale attack on Belgorod and Kharkov. This actually ends the story of the Kursk confrontation, the largest battle of the Great Patriotic War, which opened the doors of the USSR to the conquest of Berlin.

Capture of Berlin 1945

The Berlin operation played the final role in the history of the German-Soviet confrontation. Its purpose was to defeat the German troops that had formed near the city of Berlin.

Near the city, the army of the "Center" group was stationed, as well as the military group "Vistula" under the command of Heinritz and Scherner. From the USSR side, an army came out consisting of three fronts under the command of Marshals Zhukov, Konev and Rokossovsky. The capture of Berlin ended with German surrender on May 9, 1945.

The main battles of the Great Patriotic War are ending at this stage. Just a few months later, namely on September 2, 1945, the Second World War ended.

Conclusion

So, the article examined the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War. The list can be supplemented with other equally important and famous events, but our article identifies the most epic and memorable battles. Today it is impossible to imagine a person who would not know about the feat of the great Soviet soldiers.

A significant component of the Great Patriotic War played a noticeable and decisive role in the outcome of one of the bloodiest international conflicts XX century.

Periodization of the Second World War

The five-year confrontation that took place on the territory of the republics that were part of the Soviet Union is divided by historians into three periods.

Period I (06/22/1941-11/18/1942) includes the transition of the USSR to a war footing, the failure of Hitler’s original “blitzkrieg” plan, as well as the creation of conditions for turning the tide of hostilities in favor of the Coalition countries.
Period II (11/19/1942 - end of 1943) is associated with military conflict.
Period III (January 1944 - May 9, 1945) - a crushing defeat of the Nazi troops, their expulsion from Soviet territories, the liberation of the countries of Southeast and Eastern Europe The Red Army.

How it all began

Major battles The Great Patriotic War has been described briefly and in detail more than once. They will be discussed in this article.

Germany's unexpected and rapid attack on Poland, and then on other European countries, led to the fact that by 1941 the Nazis, together with their allies, captured vast territories. Poland was defeated, and Norway, Denmark, Holland, Luxembourg and Belgium were occupied. France was able to resist for only 40 days, after which it was also captured. The Nazis inflicted a major defeat and the expeditionary force then entered the territory of the Balkans. The main obstacle on Germany's path was the Red Army, and the largest battles of the Great Patriotic War proved that the power and unbroken spirit of the Soviet people who defended the freedom of their Motherland is one of the decisive factors in the successful fight against the enemy.

"Plan Barbarossa"

In the plans of the German command, the USSR was just a pawn that was easily and quickly eliminated from the path, thanks to the so-called lightning war, the principles of which were set out in the “Barbarossa Plan”.

Its development was carried out under the leadership of a general. According to this plan, Soviet troops were to be defeated in short term Germany and its allies, and the European part of the territory of the Soviet Union was captured. Further, the complete defeat and destruction of the USSR was assumed.

Presented in historical order, they clearly indicate which side had the advantage at the beginning of the confrontation and how it all ended in the end.

The ambitious plan of the Germans assumed that within five months they would be able to capture key cities of the USSR and reach the Arkhangelsk-Volga-Astrakhan line. The war against the USSR was supposed to end by the fall of 1941. Adolf Hitler was counting on this. By his order to east direction impressive forces of Germany and allied countries were concentrated. What major battles of the Great Patriotic War did they have to endure in order to finally become convinced of the impossibility of establishing world domination in Germany?

It was assumed that the blow would be delivered in three directions in order to quickly defeat the enemy who stood on the path to world domination:

Central (Minsk-Moscow line);
Yuzhny (Ukraine and the Black Sea coast);
Northwestern (Baltic countries and Leningrad).

The largest battles of the Great Patriotic War: the struggle for the capital

The operation to capture Moscow was codenamed “Typhoon”. It began in September 1941.

The implementation of the plan to capture the capital of the USSR was entrusted to Army Group Center, headed by Field Marshal General. The enemy outnumbered the Red Army not only in the number of soldiers (1.2 times), but also in weapons (more than 2 times) . And yet, the major battles of the Great Patriotic War soon proved that more does not mean stronger.

The fight against the Germans in this direction was carried out by troops of the South-Western, North-Western, Western and Reserve Fronts. Besides this, active participation Partisans and militias took part in hostilities.

Beginning of the confrontation

In October, the main line of Soviet defense was broken in the central direction: the Nazis captured Vyazma and Bryansk. The second line, passing near Mozhaisk, managed to briefly delay the offensive. In October 1941, Georgy Zhukov became the head of the Western Front, who declared a state of siege in Moscow.

By the end of October fighting took place literally 100 kilometers from the capital.

However, numerous military operations and major battles of the Great Patriotic War, carried out during the defense of the city, did not allow the Germans to capture Moscow.

Turning point during the battle

Already in November 1941, the last attempts of the Nazis to conquer Moscow were prevented. The advantage turned out to be Soviet Army, thereby providing it with the opportunity to launch a counteroffensive.

The German command attributed the reasons for the failure to bad autumn weather and mud. The largest battles of the Great Patriotic War shook the Germans' confidence in their own invincibility. Enraged by the failure, the Fuhrer gave the order to capture the capital before the winter cold, and on November 15 the Nazis again tried to go on the offensive. Despite huge losses, German troops managed to break through to the city.

However, their further advance was prevented, and the last attempts of the Nazis to break through to Moscow ended in failure.

The end of 1941 was marked by the Red Army's offensive against enemy troops. At the beginning of January 1942, it covered the entire front line. The occupying troops were thrown back 200-250 kilometers. As a result of a successful operation soviet soldiers liberated the Ryazan, Tula, and Moscow regions, as well as some areas of the Oryol, Smolensk, and Kalinin regions. During the confrontation, Germany lost a large amount of equipment, including about 2,500 units firearms and 1300 tanks.

The largest battles of the Great Patriotic War, in particular the Battle of Moscow, proved that victory over the enemy is possible, despite his military-technical superiority.

One of the most important battles the Soviet war against the countries of the Triple Alliance - the battle for Moscow, was a brilliant embodiment of the plan to disrupt the blitzkrieg. Soviet soldiers resorted to whatever methods they could to prevent the enemy from capturing the capital.

So, during the confrontation, Red Army soldiers launched huge, 35-meter balloons into the sky. The purpose of such actions was to reduce the targeting accuracy of German bombers. These colossuses rose to a height of 3-4 kilometers and, while there, significantly hampered the work of enemy aviation.

More than seven million people took part in the battle for the capital. Therefore, it is considered one of the largest.

A significant role in the battle for Moscow was played by Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, who led the 16th Army. In the fall of 1941, his troops blocked the Volokolamsk and Leningrad highways, preventing the enemy from breaking through to the city. The defense in this area lasted two weeks: the locks of the Istrinsky reservoir were blown up, and the approaches to the capital were mined.

Another interesting fact in the history of the legendary battle: in mid-October 1941 it was closed Moscow metro. This was the only day in the history of the capital's metro when it did not work. The panic caused by this event entailed the so-called exodus of residents - the city was empty, looters began to operate. The situation was saved by the order to take decisive measures against fugitives and looters, according to which even the execution of violators was allowed. This fact stopped the mass flight of people from Moscow and stopped the panic.

Battle of Stalingrad

The largest battles of the Great Patriotic War took place on the approaches to key cities of the country. One of the most important confrontations was the Battle of Stalingrad, which spanned the period from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943.

The Germans' goal in this direction was to break through to the south of the USSR, where numerous enterprises in the metallurgical and defense industries were located, as well as the main food reserves.

Formation of the Stalingrad Front

During the offensive of the fascist troops and their allies, Soviet troops experienced significant damage in the battles for Kharkov; the Southwestern Front was defeated; The divisions and regiments of the Red Army were scattered, and the lack of fortified positions and open steppes gave the Germans the opportunity to enter the Caucasus almost unhindered.

This seemingly hopeless situation in the USSR gave Hitler confidence in his imminent success. By his order, the army “South” was divided into 2 parts - the goal of part “A” was to capture North Caucasus, and part “B” - Stalingrad, where the Volga flowed - the main water artery of the country.

For short period Rostov-on-Don was captured, and the Germans moved to Stalingrad. Due to the fact that 2 armies were moving in this direction at once, a huge traffic jam formed. As a result of this, one of the armies was ordered to return to the Caucasus. This hitch delayed the offensive for a whole week.

In July 1942, a single Stalingrad Front, the purpose of which was to protect the city from the enemy and organize defense. The whole difficulty of the task was that the newly formed units did not yet have experience in interaction, there was not enough ammunition, and there were no defensive structures.

The Soviet troops outnumbered the Germans in numbers, but were inferior to them by almost half in equipment and weapons, which were sorely lacking.

The desperate struggle of the Red Army delayed the enemy's entry into Stalingrad, but in September the fighting moved from the outlying territories to the city. At the end of August, the Germans destroyed Stalingrad, first by bombing it and then dropping high explosive and incendiary bombs on it.

Operation Ring

City residents fought for every meter of land. The result of the months-long confrontation was a turning point in the battle: in January 1943, Operation Ring began, which lasted 23 days.

Its result was the defeat of the enemy, the destruction of his armies and the surrender of the surviving troops on February 2. This success was a real breakthrough in the course of military operations, shook Germany's position and questioned its influence on other states. He gave the Soviet people hope for future victory.

Battle of Kursk

The defeat of the troops of Germany and its allies at Stalingrad became the impetus for Hitler, in order to avoid centrifugal tendencies within the alliance of the countries of the Tripartite Pact, to decide to carry out a major operation to attack the Red Army, codenamed “Citadel”. The battle began on July 5 of the same year. The Germans launched new tanks, which did not frighten the Soviet troops, who offered them effective resistance. By July 7, both armies had lost a huge number of people and equipment, and the tank battle near Ponyri led to the loss of large quantity cars and people. This turned out to be a significant factor in weakening the Nazis in the northern part of the Kursk salient.

Record tank battle

On July 8, the largest tank battle of the Great Patriotic War began near Prokhorovka. About 1,200 combat vehicles took part in it. The confrontation lasted several days. The climax came on July 12, when two events took place simultaneously near Prokhorovka. tank battles ended in a draw. Despite the fact that neither side gained the decisive initiative, the German offensive was stopped, and on July 17 the defensive phase of the battle turned into an offensive phase. Its result was that the Nazis were thrown back to the south of the Kursk Bulge, to their original positions. In August, Belgorod and Orel were liberated.

What major battle ended the Great Patriotic War? This battle was the confrontation on the Kursk Bulge, the decisive chord of which was the liberation of Kharkov on August 23, 1944. It was this event that ended a series of major battles on the territory of the USSR and marked the beginning of the liberation of Europe by Soviet soldiers.

Major battles of the Great Patriotic War: table

For a better understanding of the course of the war, especially with regard to its most significant battles, there is a table reflecting the periodicity of what was happening.

Battle for Moscow	30.09.1941-20.04.1942
Siege of Leningrad	08.09.1941-27.01.1944
Battle of Rzhev	08.01.1942-31.03.1943
Battle of Stalingrad	17.07.1942-02.02.1943
Battle for the Caucasus	25.07.1942-09.10.1943
Battle for Kursk	05.07.1943-23.08.1943

The major battles of the Great Patriotic War, the names of which are known today to people of any age, became indisputable evidence of the strength of spirit and will of the Soviet people, who did not allow the establishment of fascist power not only on the territory of the USSR, but throughout the world.

The bloodiest battle in human history is Stalingrad. Nazi Germany lost 841,000 soldiers in the battle. USSR losses amounted to 1,130,000 people. Respectively, total number the number of deaths was 1,971,000 people.

By mid-summer 1942, the battles of the Great Patriotic War had reached the Volga. The German command also included Stalingrad in the plan for a large-scale offensive in the south of the USSR (Caucasus, Crimea). Hitler wanted to implement this plan in just a week with the help of Paulus's 6th Field Army. It included 13 divisions, with about 270,000 people, 3 thousand guns and about five hundred tanks. On the USSR side, German forces were opposed by the Stalingrad Front. It was created by decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command on July 12, 1942 (commander - Marshal Timoshenko, since July 23 - Lieutenant General Gordov).

On August 23, German tanks approached Stalingrad. From that day on, fascist aircraft began to systematically bomb the city. The battles on the ground also did not subside. The defending troops were ordered to hold the city with all their might. Every day the fighting became more and more fierce. All houses were turned into fortresses. The battles took place over floors, basements, and individual walls.

By November, the Germans had captured almost the entire city. Stalingrad was turned into complete ruins. The defending troops held only a low strip of land - a few hundred meters along the banks of the Volga. Hitler hastened to announce to the whole world the capture of Stalingrad.

On September 12, 1942, at the height of the battles for the city, the General Staff began developing offensive operation"Uranus". Marshal G.K. Zhukov was involved in its planning. The plan was to strike the flanks of the German wedge, which was defended by Allied troops (Italians, Romanians and Hungarians). Their formations were poorly armed and did not have high morale. Within two months, near Stalingrad, in conditions of the deepest secrecy, a strike force was created. The Germans understood the weakness of their flanks, but could not imagine that the Soviet command would be able to assemble such a number of combat-ready units.

On November 19, the Red Army, after a powerful artillery barrage, launched an offensive with tank and mechanized units. Having overthrown Germany's allies, on November 23, Soviet troops closed the ring, surrounding 22 divisions numbering 330 thousand soldiers.

Hitler rejected the option of retreat and ordered the commander-in-chief of the 6th Army, Paulus, to begin defensive battles in encirclement. The Wehrmacht command tried to release the encircled troops with a strike from the Don Army under the command of Manstein. There was an attempt to organize an air bridge, which was stopped by our aviation. The Soviet command presented an ultimatum to the encircled units. Realizing the hopelessness of their situation, on February 2, 1943, the remnants of the 6th Army in Stalingrad surrendered.

2 "Verdun Meat Grinder"

The Battle of Verdun was one of the largest and one of the bloodiest military operations in the First World War. It took place from February 21 to December 18, 1916 between the troops of France and Germany. Each side tried unsuccessfully to break through the enemy's defenses and launch a decisive offensive. During the nine months of battle, the front line remained virtually unchanged. Neither side achieved a strategic advantage. It was no coincidence that contemporaries called the Battle of Verdun a “meat grinder.” 305,000 soldiers and officers on both sides lost their lives in a futile confrontation. The losses of the French army, including killed and wounded, amounted to 543 thousand people, and the German army - 434 thousand. 70 French and 50 German divisions passed through the “Verdun meat grinder”.

After a series of bloody battles on both fronts in 1914-1915, Germany did not have the forces to attack on a wide front, so the goal of the offensive was a powerful blow in a narrow area - in the area of the Verdun fortified area. Breaking through the French defenses, encircling and defeating 8 French divisions would mean free passage to Paris, followed by the surrender of France.

On a small section of the front 15 km long, Germany concentrated 6.5 divisions against 2 French divisions. To maintain a continuous offensive could be introduced additional reserves. The skies were cleared of French aircraft so that German fire spotters and bombers could operate unhindered.

The Verdun operation began on February 21. After a massive 8-hour artillery preparation, German troops went on the offensive on the right bank of the Meuse River, but met stubborn resistance. The German infantry led the attack in dense combat formations. During the first day of the offensive, German troops advanced 2 km and occupied the first French position. In the following days, the offensive was carried out according to the same pattern: during the day the artillery destroyed the next position, and by the evening the infantry occupied it.

By February 25, the French had lost almost all of their forts. The Germans managed to take the important fort of Douaumont almost without resistance. However, the French command took measures to eliminate the threat of encirclement of the Verdun fortified area. Along the only highway connecting Verdun with the rear, troops from other sectors of the front were transferred in 6,000 vehicles. During the period from February 27 to March 6, about 190 thousand soldiers and 25 thousand tons of military cargo were delivered to Verdun by vehicles. The advance of the German troops was stopped by almost one and a half superiority in manpower.

The battle became protracted; from March the Germans transferred the main blow to the left bank of the river. After intense fighting, German troops managed to advance only 6-7 km by May.

The last attempt to capture Verdun was made by the Germans on June 22, 1916. They acted, as always, according to a template: first, a powerful artillery barrage was followed by the use of gas, then the thirty-thousandth German vanguard went on the attack, acting with the desperation of the doomed. The advancing vanguard managed to destroy the opposing French division and even take Fort Tiamon, located only three kilometers north of Verdun, the walls of the Verdun Cathedral were already visible ahead, but there was simply no one to continue the attack further, the advancing German troops were killed on the battlefield almost completely, reserves ran out, the general offensive floundered.

The Brusilov breakthrough on the Eastern Front and the Entente operation on the Somme River forced German troops to go on the defensive in the fall, and on October 24, French troops went on the offensive and by the end of December reached the positions they occupied on February 25, pushing the enemy 2 km from Fort Douamont.

The battle did not bring any tactical or strategic results - by December 1916, the front line had moved to the lines occupied by both armies by February 25, 1916.

3 Battle of the Somme

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of the First World War, with more than 1,000,000 people killed and wounded, making it one of the deadliest battles in human history. On the first day of the campaign alone, July 1, 1916, the British landing force lost 60,000 people. The operation dragged on for five months. The number of divisions participating in the battle increased from 33 to 149. As a result, French losses amounted to 204,253 people, British - 419,654 people, a total of 623,907 people, of which 146,431 people were killed and missing. German losses amounted to more than 465,000 people, of which 164,055 were killed and missing.

The offensive plan on all fronts, including the Western, was developed and approved at the beginning of March 1916 in Chantilly. The combined army of the French and British was supposed to launch an attack on fortified German positions in early July, and the Russian and Italian 15 days earlier. In May, the plan was significantly changed; the French, having lost over half a million soldiers killed at Verdun, could no longer field in the upcoming battle the number of soldiers that the allies demanded. As a result, the length of the front was reduced from 70 to 40 kilometers.

On June 24, British artillery began intensive shelling of German positions near the Somme River. As a result of this shelling, the Germans lost more than half of all their artillery and the entire first line of defense, after which they immediately began to pull reserve divisions into the breakthrough area.

On July 1, as planned, the infantry was launched, which easily overcame the practically destroyed first line of German troops, but when moving to the second and third positions, it lost a huge number of soldiers and was driven back. On this day, over 20 thousand British and French soldiers died, more than 35 thousand were seriously injured, some of them were taken prisoner. At the same time, the outnumbered French not only captured and held the second line of defense, but also took Barle, however, leaving it a few hours later, since the commander was not ready for such a rapid development of events and ordered a retreat. A new offensive on the French sector of the front began only on July 5, but by this time the Germans had pulled several additional divisions to this area, as a result several thousand soldiers died, but the city that was so recklessly abandoned was not taken. The French tried to capture Barle from the moment of their retreat in July until October.

Just a month after the start of the battle, the British and French lost so many soldiers that 9 additional divisions were brought into the battle, while Germany transferred as many as 20 divisions to the Somme. By August, against 500 British aircraft, the Germans were able to field only 300, and against 52 divisions, only 31.

The situation for Germany became greatly complicated after the Russian troops carried out the Brusilov breakthrough; the German command exhausted all its reserves and was forced to switch to a planned defense with the last of its strength, not only on the Somme, but also near Verdun.

Under these conditions, the British decided to make another breakthrough attempt, scheduled for September 3, 1916. After the artillery shelling, all available reserves, including French ones, were brought into action, and on September 15, tanks went into battle for the first time. In total, the command had about 50 tanks with a well-trained crew at its disposal, but only 18 of them actually took part in the battle. A big miscalculation of the designers and developers of the tank offensive was discarding the fact that the area near the river was swampy, and the bulky, clumsy tanks simply could not get out of the swampy quagmire. However, the British were able to advance several tens of kilometers deep into enemy positions and on September 27 they were able to capture the heights between the Somme River and the small Ancre River.

A further offensive made no sense, since the exhausted soldiers would not have been able to hold the positions they had regained, therefore, despite several offensive attempts made in October, in fact, since November, no military operations had been carried out in this area, and the operation was completed.

4 Battle of Leipzig

The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, is the largest battle in the series of Napoleonic Wars and in world history before the First World War. According to rough estimates, the French army lost 70-80 thousand soldiers near Leipzig, of which approximately 40 thousand were killed and wounded, 15 thousand prisoners, another 15 thousand were captured in hospitals and up to 5 thousand Saxons went over to the Allied side. According to the French historian T. Lenz, the losses of the Napoleonic army amounted to 70 thousand killed, wounded and prisoners, another 15-20 thousand German soldiers went over to the side of the Allies. In addition to combat losses, the lives of soldiers of the retreating army were claimed by a typhus epidemic. Allied losses amounted to up to 54 thousand killed and wounded, of which up to 23 thousand Russians, 16 thousand Prussians, 15 thousand Austrians and 180 Swedes.

From October 16 to 19, 1813, a battle took place near Leipzig between the armies of Napoleon I and the sovereigns united against him: Russian, Austrian, Prussian and Swedish. The forces of the latter were divided into three armies: Bohemian (main), Silesian and northern, but of these, only the first two took part in the battle on October 16. The bloody actions of that day did not bring any significant results.

On October 17, both warring sides remained inactive, and only on the northern side of Leipzig did a cavalry skirmish occur. During this day, the position of the French deteriorated significantly, since only one corps of Rainier (15 thousand) came to reinforce them, and the allies were strengthened by the newly arrived northern army. Napoleon found out about this, but did not dare to retreat, because, retreating, he left the possessions of his ally, the King of Saxony, at the mercy of the enemies, and finally abandoned the French garrisons scattered at different points on the Vistula, Oder and Elbe to the mercy of fate. By the evening of the 17th, he pulled his troops to new positions, closer to Leipzig; on October 18, the allies resumed their attack along the entire line, but, despite the enormous superiority of their forces, the result of the battle was again far from decisive: on Napoleon’s right wing all attacks of the Bohemian army were repulsed; in the center the French ceded several villages and moved back to Leipzig; their left wing held its position north of Leipzig; in the rear, the French retreat route to Weissenfels remained clear.

The main reasons for the small success of the Allies were the timing of their attacks and the inaction of the reserve, which Prince Schwarzenberg was unable or unwilling to use properly, contrary to the insistence of Emperor Alexander. Meanwhile, Napoleon, taking advantage of the fact that the route of retreat remained open, began to send back his convoys and separate units of troops even before noon, and on the night of 18-19 the entire French army retreated to Leipzig and beyond. For the defense of the city itself, 4 corps were left. The commander of the rearguard, MacDonald, was ordered to hold out until at least 12 o'clock the next day, and then retreat, blowing up the only bridge on the Elster River behind him.

On the morning of October 19, a new Allied attack followed. Around one o'clock in the afternoon, the allied monarchs could already enter the city, in some parts of which fierce battle was still in full swing. Due to a disastrous mistake for the French, the bridge on Elster was blown up prematurely. The cut-off troops of their rearguard were partly captured, and some died trying to escape by swimming across the river.

The Battle of Leipzig, due to the size of the forces of both sides (Napoleon had 190 thousand, with 700 guns; the Allies had up to 300 thousand and more than 1300 guns) and due to its enormous consequences, is called by the Germans “the battle of the nations.” The consequence of this battle was the liberation of Germany and the fall of the troops of the Confederation of the Rhine from Napoleon.

5 Battle of Borodino

Considered to be the bloodiest one-day battle in history Battle of Borodino. During it, every hour, according to the most conservative estimates, about 6 thousand people were killed or injured. During the battle, the Russian army lost about 30% of its strength, the French - about 25%. In absolute numbers, this is about 60 thousand killed on both sides. But, according to some reports, up to 100 thousand people were killed during the battle and died later from injuries.

The Battle of Borodino took place 125 kilometers west of Moscow, near the village of Borodino, on August 26 (September 7, old style) 1812. French troops under the leadership of Napoleon I Bonaparte invaded the territory of the Russian Empire in June 1812 and by the end of August reached the capital itself. Russian troops were constantly retreating and, naturally, caused great discontent both among society and Emperor Alexander I himself. To turn the situation around, Commander-in-Chief Barclay de Tolly was removed, and Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov took his place. But also new manager Russian army chose to retreat: on the one hand, he wanted to wear down the enemy, on the other, Kutuzov was waiting for reinforcements to give a general battle. After the retreat near Smolensk, Kutuzov’s army settled down near the village of Borodino - there was nowhere to retreat further. It was here that the most famous battle throughout the Patriotic War of 1812.

At 6 am French artillery opened fire along the entire front. The French troops lined up for the attack launched their onslaught on the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment. Desperately resisting, the regiment retreated beyond the Koloch River. The flashes, which would become known as the Bagrationovs, protected the chasseur regiments of Prince Shakhovsky from encircling. Ahead, the rangers also lined up in a cordon. Major General Neverovsky's division occupied positions behind the flushes.

The troops of Major General Duka occupied the Semenovsky Heights. This sector was attacked by the cavalry of Marshal Murat, the troops of Marshals Ney and Davout, and the corps of General Junot. The number of attackers reached 115 thousand people.

The course of the Battle of Borodino, after the repelled attacks of the French at 6 and 7 o'clock, continued with another attempt to take flushes on the left flank. By that time, they were reinforced by the Izmailovsky and Lithuanian regiments, Konovnitsin’s division and cavalry units. On the French side, it was in this area that serious artillery forces were concentrated - 160 guns. However, subsequent attacks (at 8 and 9 am) were, despite the incredible intensity of the fighting, completely unsuccessful. The French briefly managed to capture flushes at 9 am. But they were soon driven out from the Russian fortifications by a powerful counterattack. The dilapidated flashes stubbornly held on, repelling subsequent enemy attacks.

Konovnitsin withdrew his troops to Semenovskoye only after holding these fortifications ceased to be necessary. The Semenovsky ravine became the new line of defense. The exhausted troops of Davout and Murat, who did not receive reinforcements (Napoleon did not dare to bring the Old Guard into the battle), were unable to carry out a successful attack.

The situation was extremely difficult in other areas as well. Kurgan Heights was attacked at the same time that the battle for taking flushes was raging on the left flank. Raevsky's battery held the height, despite the powerful onslaught of the French under the command of Eugene Beauharnais. After reinforcements arrived, the French were forced to retreat.

The actions on the right flank were no less intense. Lieutenant General Uvarov and Ataman Platov, with a cavalry raid deep into enemy positions, carried out at about 10 o’clock in the morning, drew off significant French forces. This made it possible to weaken the onslaught along the entire front. Platov was able to reach the rear of the French (Valuevo area), which suspended the offensive in the central direction. Uvarov made an equally successful maneuver in the Bezzubovo area.

The Battle of Borodino lasted all day and began to gradually subside only at 6 o’clock in the evening. Another attempt to bypass Russian positions was successfully repulsed by soldiers of the Life Guards of the Finnish Regiment in the Utitsky Forest. After this, Napoleon gave the order to retreat to their original positions. The Battle of Borodino lasted more than 12 hours.