Who fought against the USSR in the Great Patriotic War. Myth - England and the USA suffered the same heavy losses from participation in the Second World War

Romania:
The Romanian 3rd Army (mountain and cavalry corps) and the 4th Army (3 infantry corps), with a total strength of about 220 thousand people, were intended for military operations against the USSR. The 3rd Army advanced in Ukraine, crossed the Dnieper in September and reached the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov. From the end of October 1941, units of the Romanian 3rd Army participated in the capture of Crimea (together with the German 11th Army under the command of von Manstein). From the beginning of August 1941, the Romanian 4th Army led the operation to capture Odessa. By September 10, 12 Romanian divisions and 5 brigades were assembled to capture Odessa, with a total number of up to 200 thousand people (as well as German units - an infantry regiment, an assault battalion and 2 heavy artillery regiments). After heavy fighting, Odessa was captured by Romanian troops on October 16, 1941. The losses of the Romanian 4th Army in this operation amounted to 29 thousand dead and missing and 63 thousand wounded. In August 1942, the Romanian 3rd Army (3 cavalry and 1 mountain divisions) took part in the German offensive in the Caucasus. In August, Romanian cavalry divisions took Taman, Anapa, Novorossiysk (the latter together with German troops), the Romanian mountain division captured Nalchik in October 1942. On November 19, 1942, the troops of two Soviet fronts went on the offensive, and on November 23 they formed an encirclement ring around Stalingrad, which included the German 6th Army, part of the troops of the German 4th Army, and the Romanian 6 infantry and 1 cavalry divisions. By the end of January 1943, the Romanian 3rd and 4th armies were practically destroyed - their total losses amounted to almost 160 thousand dead, missing and wounded. In total, up to 200 thousand Romanians died in the war against the USSR

Italy:
The Italian Expeditionary Force for the war against the USSR was created on July 10, 1941, consisting of one cavalry and two infantry divisions, with corps artillery and two air groups (reconnaissance and fighter). In total, the corps had 62 thousand soldiers and officers. There were 220 guns, 60 machine-gun tankettes, aviation - 50 fighters and 20 reconnaissance aircraft. In September 1941, the Italian corps fought on the Dnieper, in a 100-km sector in the Dneprodzerzhinsk region.
In October-November 1941, the Italian corps participated in the German offensive to capture Donbass. In July 1942, Italian troops on the territory of the USSR were significantly strengthened. The 8th Italian Army was formed, consisting of 3 corps (in total - 10 divisions, the total number of the army reached in September 1942 - 230 thousand people, 940 guns, 31 light tank(20 mm gun), 19 self-propelled guns(47mm gun), aviation - 41 fighters and 23 reconnaissance aircraft).
In December 1942 - January 1943, the Italians repelled the advance of Red Army units northwest of Stalingrad. As a result, the Italian army was virtually defeated - 21 thousand Italians died, 64 thousand were missing.

Italian losses in the USSR from August 1941 to February 1943 amounted to about 90 thousand dead and missing.

Finland:
On June 30, 1941, Finnish troops (11 infantry divisions and 4 brigades, totaling about 150 thousand people) went on the offensive in the direction of Vyborg and Petrozavodsk. By the end of August 1941, the Finns reached the approaches to Leningrad on the Karelian Isthmus, and by the beginning of October 1941 they occupied almost the entire territory of Karelia (except for the coast of the White Sea and Zaonezhye), after which they went on the defensive at the achieved lines. On June 9, 1944, Soviet troops (total numbering up to 500 thousand people) went on the offensive against the Finns (16 infantry divisions, about 200 thousand people). During heavy fighting that lasted until August 1944, Soviet troops took Petrozavodsk, Vyborg and in one section reached the Soviet-Finnish border in March 1940. On August 29, 1944, Soviet troops went on the defensive. On September 1, 1944, Marshal Mannerheim proposed a truce and Finnish troops retreated to the March 1940 border. 54 thousand Finns died in the war against the USSR.

Hungary:
On July 1, 1941, Hungary sent the “Carpathian Group” (5 brigades with a total number of 40 thousand people) to the war against the USSR, which fought as part of the German 17th Army in Ukraine. In April 1942, the Hungarian 2nd was sent to the war against the USSR army (about 200 thousand people). In June 1942, it went on the offensive in the Voronezh direction, as part of the German offensive on the southern sector of the German-Soviet front. In the fall of 1944, all Hungarian armed forces (three armies) fought against the Red Army, already on the territory of Hungary. More than 200 thousand Hungarians died in the war against the USSR

Slovakia:
One division (consisting of 2 infantry regiments, an artillery regiment, a battalion of light tanks, numbering 8 thousand people) fought in Ukraine in 1941, in the Kuban in 1942, and performed security functions in the Crimea in 1943-1944. Another division (consisting of 2 infantry regiments and an artillery regiment, 8 thousand people) performed security functions in Ukraine in 1941-1942, and in Belarus in 1943-1944. About 3.5 thousand Slovaks died in the war against the USSR.

Croatia:
1 volunteer Croatian regiment (3 infantry battalions and 1 artillery battalion, with a total number of 3.9 thousand people) was sent to the war against the USSR. The regiment arrived at the front in October 1941. Fought in the Donbass, and in Stalingrad in 1942. By February 1943, the Croatian regiment was practically destroyed - about 700 Croats were taken prisoner by the Soviets. About 2 thousand Croats died in the war against the USSR.

Spain:
The Spanish division (18 thousand people) was sent to the northern section of the German-Soviet front. From October 1941 - she fought in the Volkhov region, from August 1942 - near Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). In October 1943, the division was returned to Spain, but about 2 thousand volunteers remained to fight in the Spanish Legion (three battalions). The legion was disbanded in March 1944, but about 300 Spaniards wished to fight further, and from them 2 companies of SS troops were formed, which fought against the Red Army until the end of the war. About 5 thousand Spaniards died in the war against the USSR

Belgium:
In 1941, two volunteer legions were formed in Belgium for the war against the USSR. They differed in ethnicity - Flemish and Walloon, both of battalion size. In the fall of 1941, they were sent to the German-Soviet front - the Walloon Legion to the southern sector (Rostov-on-Don, then Kuban), the Flemish Legion to the northern sector (Volkhov). In June 1943, both legions were reorganized into brigades of SS troops - a volunteer brigade SS troops "Langemarck" and the volunteer assault brigade of the SS troops "Wallonia". In October, the brigades were renamed into divisions (remaining the same composition - 2 infantry regiment). At the end of the war, both the Flemings and Walloons fought against the Red Army in Pomerania. About 5 thousand Belgians died in the war against the USSR (2 thousand Belgians were taken prisoner by the Soviets).

Netherlands:
In January 1942, the Dutch Legion arrived on the northern section of the German-Soviet front, in the Volkhov area. Then the legion was transferred to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). In May 1943, the Dutch legion was reorganized into the volunteer brigade of SS troops "Netherlands" (consisting of two motorized regiments and other units, with a total number of 9 thousand people). In 1944, one from the regiments of the Dutch brigade was practically destroyed in the battles near Narva. More than 8 thousand Dutch people died in the war against the USSR.

France:
In October 1941, a French legion of 2.5 thousand people was sent to the German-Soviet front, in the Moscow direction. The French suffered heavy losses there, and from the spring of 1942 to the summer of 1944, the legion was removed from the front and sent to fight against Soviet partisans in the rear. In September 1944, the French volunteer legion was disbanded, and a French brigade of SS troops was created in its place (numbering more than 7 thousand people).In February 1945, the French brigade of the SS troops was renamed the 33rd Grenadier Division of the SS troops "Charlemagne" ("Charlemagne") and sent to the front in Pomerania against Soviet troops. In March 1945, the French division was almost destroyed. The remnants of the French division (about 700 people) defended themselves in Berlin at the end of April 1945. About 8 thousand French died in the war against the USSR.

Denmark:
In May 1942, the Danish corps was sent to the front, to the Demyansk region. Since December 1942, the Danes fought in the Velikiye Luki region. At the beginning of June 1943, the Danish volunteer corps was disbanded, many of its members, as well as new volunteers, joined the Danemark regiment of the 11th SS Volunteer Division Nordland (Danish- Norwegian division). In January 1944, the division was sent to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Then she took part in the battle of Narva. In January 1945, the division fought against the Red Army in Pomerania, and in April 1945 - battles in Berlin. About 2 thousand Danes died in the war against the USSR.

Norway:
In February 1942, after training in Germany, the Norwegian Legion (1 battalion, numbering 1.2 thousand people) was sent to the German-Soviet front, near Leningrad. In May 1943, the Norwegian Legion was disbanded, most of its fighters joined the Norwegian Regiment 11 1st SS Volunteer Division Nordland (Danish-Norwegian division). In January 1944 the division was sent to Leningrad. Then she took part in the battle of Narva. In January 1945, the division fought against the Red Army in Pomerania, in April 1945 - battles in Berlin. About 1 thousand Norwegians died in the war against the USSR.

Now about neutral assistants.

Sweden:
During the Second World War, including - and this is especially important for us - from 1941 to 1945, Sweden, while formally remaining a neutral country, in fact actively helped Nazi Germany. Almost the entire Swedish heavy industry worked for these purposes. Even in 1944, up to 80% of Swedish exports were sent to Germany, the key items of which were steel and ball bearings. According to well-known statistics, up to a third of all German ammunition and weapons were made from Swedish raw materials. That is, in other words, for every third bullet, every third shell, every third bomb that claimed the lives of allies in the anti-Hitler coalition, we should be “grateful” to the Swedes.

Switzerland:
In accordance with the Hague Convention of 1907, Switzerland, as a neutral state, had the right to trade with belligerent countries. Among other goods, it exported weapons. Between 1939 and 1944, exports of goods to Germany significantly exceeded exports to allied countries - in particular to the United States. German and Italian military cargo was transported by Swiss railways. From 1939 to 1942, 45% of all exported goods were exported to Italy and Germany. The bulk of the supplies consisted of strategic raw materials, tools and instruments of production, technical equipment and chemical industry products, in a word, all those products that could partially be used for military purposes.

Let's continue

Here is an interesting archival document - a list of prisoners of war who surrendered to Soviet troops during the war. Let us remember that a prisoner of war is someone who fights in uniform with a weapon in his hands.
So,

Germans - 2,389,560,
Hungarians - 513 767,
Romanians - 187,370,
Austrians - 156,682,
Czechs and Slovaks - 69,977,
Poles - 60 280,
Italians - 48,957,
French - 23,136,
Croats - 21,822,
Moldovans - 14,129,
Jews - 10,173,
Dutch - 4,729,
Finns - 2,377,
Belgians - 2,010,
Luxembourgers – 1652,
Danes – 457,
Spaniards – 452,
gypsies – 383,
Norwegians – 101,
Swedes - 72.

President of the Academy of Military Sciences, Army General Makhmut Gareev gave this assessment of the participation of a number of European countries in the fight against fascism: - During the war, all of Europe fought against us. Three hundred and fifty million people, regardless of whether they fought with weapons in their hands, or stood at the machine, producing weapons for the Wehrmacht, did one thing. Twenty thousand members of the French Resistance died during World War II. And two hundred thousand French fought against us. We also captured sixty thousand Poles. Two million European volunteers fought for Hitler against the USSR.

All of Europe fought against us

The very first strategic counter-offensive of Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War revealed a very unpleasant circumstance for the USSR. Among the enemy troops captured near Moscow were many military units France, Poland, Holland, Finland, Austria, Norway and other countries. The output data of almost all major European companies was found on captured military equipment and shells. In general, as one could assume and as they thought in the Soviet Union, the European proletarians would never take up arms against the state of workers and peasants, that they would sabotage the production of weapons for Hitler.

But exactly the opposite happened. Our soldiers made a very characteristic discovery after the liberation of the Moscow region in the area of ​​the historical Borodino Field - next to the French cemetery of 1812, they discovered fresh graves of Napoleon’s descendants. The Soviet 32nd Red Banner Rifle Division, Colonel V.I., fought here. Polosukhin, whose fighters could not even imagine that they were opposed "French allies".

A more or less complete picture of this battle was revealed only after the Victory. Chief of Staff of the German 4th Army G. Blumentritt published memoirs in which he wrote:

“The four battalions of French volunteers operating as part of the 4th Army turned out to be less resilient. At Borodin, Field Marshal von Kluge addressed them with a speech, recalling how during the time of Napoleon the French and Germans fought here side by side against common enemy– Russia. The next day, the French boldly went into battle, but, unfortunately, they could not withstand either the powerful attack of the enemy or the severe frost and blizzard. They had never had to endure such trials before. The French legion was defeated, suffering heavy losses from enemy fire. A few days later he was taken to the rear and sent to the West..."

Here is an interesting archival document - a list of prisoners of war who surrendered to Soviet troops during the war. Let us remember that a prisoner of war is someone who fights in uniform with a weapon in his hands.

Hitler accepts the Wehrmacht parade, 1940 (megabook.ru)

So, Germans – 2 389 560, Hungarians – 513 767, Romanians – 187 370, Austrians – 156 682, Czechs And Slovaks – 69 977, Poles – 60 280, Italians – 48 957, French – 23 136, Croats – 21 822, Moldovans – 14 129, Jews – 10 173, Dutch – 4 729, Finns – 2 377, Belgians – 2 010, Luxembourgers – 1652, Danes – 457, Spaniards – 452, gypsies – 383, Norse – 101, Swedes – 72.

And these are only those who survived and were captured. In reality, significantly more Europeans fought against us.

The ancient Roman senator Cato the Elder went down in history for always ending any of his public speeches on any topic with the words: "Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam", which literally means: “Otherwise, I believe that Carthage should be destroyed.” (Carthage is a city-state hostile to Rome.) I am not ready to completely become like Senator Cato, but I will use any occasion to once again mention: in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, the USSR, with its initial strength 190 million. man, did not fight with the 80 million Germans of that time. The Soviet Union practically fought from all over Europe, the number of which (with the exception of our allied England and partisan Serbia, which did not surrender to the Germans) was about 400 million. Human.

During the Great Patriotic War, 34,476.7 thousand people wore overcoats in the USSR, i.e. 17,8% population. And Germany mobilized as many as 21% from the population. It would seem that the Germans were more tense in their military efforts than the USSR. But in the Red Army large quantities Women served, both voluntarily and by conscription. There were a lot of purely female units and units (anti-aircraft, aviation, etc.). During a period of desperate situation, the State Defense Committee decided (remaining, however, on paper) to create women's rifle formations, in which only those loading heavy artillery guns would be men.

And among the Germans, even at the moment of their agony, women not only did not serve in the army, but there were very few of them in production. Why is this so? Because in the USSR there was one man per three women, and in Germany it’s the other way around? No, that's not the point. In order to fight, you need not only soldiers, but also weapons and food. And their production also requires men, who cannot be replaced by women or teenagers. That's why the USSR was forced send women to the front instead of men.

The Germans did not have such a problem: all of Europe provided them with weapons and food. The French not only handed over all their tanks to the Germans, but also produced a huge amount of military equipment for them - from cars to optical rangefinders.

Czechs who have only one company "Skoda" produced more weapons than the entire pre-war Great Britain, built the entire fleet of German armored personnel carriers, a huge number of tanks, aircraft, small arms, artillery and ammunition.

The Poles built airplanes Polish Jews in Auschwitz they produced explosives, synthetic gasoline and rubber to kill Soviet citizens; the Swedes mined ore and supplied the Germans with components for military equipment (for example, bearings), the Norwegians supplied the Nazis with seafood, the Danes with oil... In short, all of Europe tried its best.

And she tried not only on the labor front. Only elite troops Nazi Germany - SS troops - accepted into their ranks 400 thousand. “blond beasts” from other countries, but in total they joined Hitler’s army from all over Europe 1800 thousand. volunteers, forming 59 divisions, 23 brigades and several national regiments and legions.

The most elite of these divisions had not numbers, but proper names, indicating national origin: “Valonia”, “Galicia”, “Bohemia and Moravia”, “Viking”, “Denemark”, “Gembez”, “Langemarck”, “Nordland”, “Netherlands”, “Charlemagne”, etc.

Europeans served as volunteers not only in national, but also in German divisions. So, let's say, an elite German division "Greater Germany". It would seem that, at least because of the name, it should have been staffed only by Germans. However, the Frenchman who served in it Guy Sayer recalls that on the eve of the Battle of Kursk there were 9 Germans in his infantry squad of 11 people, and besides him, he did not understand well German also Czech. And all this in addition to the official allies of Germany, whose armies burned and plundered the Soviet Union shoulder to shoulder - Italians, Romanian, Hungarians, Finns, Croats, Slovaks, besides Bulgarians, who at that time burned and plundered partisan Serbia. Even officially neutral Spaniards sent their “Blue Division” to Leningrad!

In order to evaluate the national composition of all the European bastards who, in the hope of easy prey, came to us to kill Soviet and Russian people, I will give a table of that part of the foreign volunteers who guessed in time to surrender to us:

Germans – 2 389 560, Hungarians – 513 767, Romanians – 187 370, Austrians – 156 682, Czechs And Slovaks – 69 977, Poles – 60 280, Italians – 48 957, French – 23 136, Croats – 21 822, Moldovans – 14 129, Jews – 10 173, Dutch – 4 729, Finns – 2 377, Belgians – 2 010, Luxembourgers – 1652, Danes – 457, Spaniards – 452, gypsies – 383, Norse – 101, Swedes – 72.

This table, first published at the end of 1990, should be repeated for the following reasons. After the reign of “democracy” on the territory of the USSR, the table was continuously “improved” in terms of “enlarging the rows”. As a result, in “serious” books by “professional historians” on the topic of war, say, in the statistical collection “Russia and the USSR in the Wars of the 20th Century” or in the reference book “The World of Russian History”, the data in this table are distorted. Some nationalities have disappeared from it.

The Jews disappeared first, which, as you can see from the original table, served Hitler as many as the Finns and the Dutch combined. But I, for example, don’t see why we should throw out the Jewish couplets from this Hitler song.

By the way, the Poles today are trying to push Jews away from the position of “the main sufferers of the Second World War,” and there are more of them on the lists of prisoners than there are officially and actually Italians who fought with us.

But the table presented does not reflect the true quantitative and national composition of prisoners. First of all, it does not represent our domestic scum at all, who, either due to acquired idiocy, or because of cowardice and cowardice, served the Germans - from Bandera to Vlasov.

By the way, they were punished offensively easily. It would be good if a Vlasovite fell prisoner into the hands of front-line soldiers. Then, more often than not, he got what he deserved. But the traitors contrived to surrender to the rear units, dressed in civilian clothes, pretended to be Germans when surrendering, etc. In this case, the Soviet court literally almost patted them on the head.

At one time, domestic anti-Soviet activists published collections of their memoirs abroad. One of them describes the judicial “sufferings” of a Vlasovite who defended Berlin: he changed clothes... to the Soviet soldiers who captured him... he introduced himself as a Frenchman and thus got to the military tribunal. And then to read his boasting is insulting: “They gave me five years in distant camps - and that was lucky. In a hurry - they considered them to be small workers and peasants. Soldiers captured with weapons and officers were given a ten.” While being escorted to the camp, he fled to the West.

Five years for killing Soviet people and treason! What kind of punishment is this?! Well, at least 20, so that the mental wounds of widows and orphans will heal and it won’t be so offensive to look at these vile hari...

For the same reason they are not included in the lists of prisoners of war Crimean Tatars who stormed Sevastopol for Manstein, Kalmyks etc.

Not listed Estonians, Latvians And Lithuanians, who had their own national divisions as part of Hitler’s troops, but were considered Soviet citizens and therefore served their meager sentences in Gulag camps, and not in GUPVI camps. (GULAG - the main directorate of camps - was responsible for keeping criminals, and GUPVI - the main directorate for prisoners of war and internees - prisoners.) Meanwhile, not all prisoners ended up in GUPVI, since this department counted only those who ended up in its rear camps from front-line transfer points.

Estonian legionnaires of the Wehrmacht fought against the USSR with particular fury (ookaboo.com)

But since 1943, national divisions of Poles, Czechs, and Romanians began to be formed in the USSR to fight the Germans. And the prisoners of these nationalities were not sent to the GUPVI, but immediately to the recruitment points of such formations - they fought together with the Germans, let them fight against them! By the way, there were such 600 thousand. Even de Gaulle was sent to his army 1500 French.

Before the start of the war with the USSR Hitler appealed to Europeans to crusade against Bolshevism. Here's how they responded to it (data for June - October 1941, which does not take into account huge military contingents Italy, Hungary, Romania and other allies of Hitler). From Spanish volunteers ( 18000 people) the 250th Infantry Division was formed in the Wehrmacht. In July, the personnel took the oath to Hitler and left for the Soviet-German front. During September-October 1941, from French volunteers (approx. 3000 people) the 638th Infantry Regiment was formed. In October, the regiment was sent to Smolensk and then to Moscow. From Belgians in July 1941 the 373rd Valonian battalion was formed (approximately 850 people), transferred to the subordination of the 97th Infantry Division of the 17th Army of the Wehrmacht.

From Croatian Volunteers were formed by the 369th Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment and the Croatian Legion as part of the Italian troops. Approximately 2000 Swedes signed up to volunteer in Finland. Of these, approximately 850 people took part in the fighting near Hanko, as part of the Swedish volunteer battalion.

By the end of June 1941 294 Norwegians already served in the SS regiment "Nordland". After the start of the war with the USSR, the volunteer legion “Norway” was created in Norway ( 1200 Human). After taking the oath to Hitler, he was sent to Leningrad. By the end of June 1941, the SS Viking division had 216 Danes. After the start of the war with the USSR, the Danish Volunteer Corps began to form.

Ours stand apart in aiding fascism Polish comrades. Immediately after the end of the German-Polish war, the Polish nationalist Wladyslaw Gisbert-Studnicki came up with the idea of ​​​​creating a Polish army fighting on the side of Germany. He developed a project for building a Polish 12-15 million pro-German state. Gisbert-Studnicki proposed a plan to send Polish troops to the eastern front. Later the idea of ​​a Polish-German alliance and 35 thousand Polish army supported by the Sword and Plow organization, associated with the Home Army.

In the first months of the war against the USSR, Polish soldiers in the fascist army had the so-called status HiWi (volunteer helpers). Later, Hitler gave special permission for Poles to serve in the Wehrmacht. After this, it was categorically forbidden to use the name in relation to Poles HiWi because the Nazis treated them as full-fledged soldiers. Every Pole between the ages of 16 and 50 could become a volunteer; they only had to undergo a preliminary medical examination.

Poles were called upon, along with other European nations, to stand “in defense of Western civilization from Soviet barbarism.” Here is a quote from a fascist leaflet on Polish language: “The German armed forces are leading the decisive fight to defend Europe from Bolshevism. Any honest helper in this fight will be greeted as an ally..."

The text of the oath of the Polish soldiers read: “I swear before God with this sacred oath that in the fight for the future of Europe in the ranks of the German Wehrmacht I will be absolutely obedient to the Supreme Commander Adolf Hitler, and as a brave soldier I am ready at any time to devote my strength to fulfill this oath...”

It is amazing that even the strictest guardian of the Aryan gene pool Himmler allowed to form units from Poles SS. The first sign was the Goral Legion of the Waffen-SS. The Gorals are an ethnic group within the Polish nation. In 1942, the Nazis convened the Goral Committee in Zakopane. Was appointed "Goralenführer" Vaclav Krzeptovsky.

He and his inner circle made a series of trips to cities and villages, urging them to fight the worst enemy of civilization - Judeo-Bolshevism. It was decided to create a Goral volunteer legion of the Waffen-SS, adapted for operations in mountainous terrain. Krzeptovsky managed to collect 410 Highlanders But after a medical examination in the SS organs there remained 300 Human.

Another Polish SS Legion was formed in mid-July 1944. They joined it 1500 volunteers of Polish nationality. In October the legion was based in Rzechow, in December near Tomaszow. In January 1945, the legion was divided into two groups (1st Lieutenant Machnik, 2nd Lieutenant Errling) and sent to participate in anti-partisan operations in the Tuchola forests. In February, both groups were destroyed by the Soviet army.

President of the Academy of Military Sciences, Army General Makhmut Gareev gave the following assessment of the participation of a number of European countries in the fight against fascism: During the war, all of Europe fought against us. Three hundred and fifty million people, regardless of whether they fought with weapons in their hands, or stood at the machine, producing weapons for the Wehrmacht, did one thing.

During World War II, 20 thousand members of the French Resistance died. And 200 thousand French fought against us. We also captured 60 thousand Poles. 2 million European volunteers fought for Hitler against the USSR.

In this regard, the invitation of military personnel from a number of countries looks at least strange NATO to take part in the parade on Red Square in honor of the 65th anniversary of the Great Victory, says Colonel Yuri Rubtsov, member of the International Association of Historians of the Second World War, professor at the Military Humanitarian Academy. – This insults the memory of our defenders of the Fatherland, who died at the hands of numerous "Hitler's European friends".

Useful conclusion

During the Second World War against the Soviet Union, which had an initial population of just over 190 million. people, a European coalition of more than 400 million. people, and when we were not Russians, but Soviet citizens, we defeated this coalition.

All of Europe fought against us A

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Participants

62 states took part in World War II (48 on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition and 14 on the side of the Axis countries). Some of them were actively involved in military operations, others helped their allies with food supplies, and many participated in the war only nominally.

The anti-Hitler coalition included: Poland, Great Britain, France (since 1939), USSR (since 1941), USA (since 1941), China, Australia, Canada, Yugoslavia, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Union of South Africa, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Greece, Ethiopia, Denmark, Brazil, Mexico, Mongolia, Luxembourg, Nepal, Panama, Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Peru, Guatemala, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Albania, Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Paraguay , Ecuador, San Marino, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Nicaragua, Liberia, Bolivia. During the war, they were joined by some states that left the fascist bloc: Iran (since 1941), Iraq (since 1943), Italy (since 1943), Romania (since 1944), Bulgaria (since 1944), Hungary (in 1945), Finland (in 1945).

On the other hand, the Axis countries participated in the war: Germany, Italy (until 1943), Japan, Finland (until 1944), Bulgaria (until 1944), Romania (until 1944), Hungary (until 1945), Slovakia, Thailand (Siam), Iraq (until 1941), Iran (until 1941), Manchukuo, Croatia. On the territory of the occupied countries, puppet states were created that joined the fascist coalition: Vichy France, the Republic of Salo, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Inner Mongolia, Burma, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos. Many collaborationist troops, created from citizens of the opposing side, also fought on the side of Germany and Japan: ROA, RONA, foreign SS divisions (Russian, Ukrainian, Estonian, Latvian, Danish, Belgian, French, Albanian), “Free India”. Also fighting in the armed forces of the Axis countries were volunteer forces of states that formally remained neutral: Spain (Blue Division), Sweden and Portugal.

Territories

All military operations can be divided into 5 theaters of military operations:

* Western European theater: West Germany, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, France, Great Britain (air bombing), Atlantic.
* Eastern European theater: USSR (western part), Poland, Finland, Northern Norway, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Austria (eastern part), East Germany, Barents Sea, Baltic Sea, Black Sea.
* Mediterranean theater: Yugoslavia, Greece, Albania, Italy, Mediterranean islands (Malta, Cyprus, etc.), Egypt, Libya, French North Africa, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Mediterranean Sea.
* African theater: Ethiopia, Italian Somalia, British Somalia, Kenya, Sudan, French West Africa, French Equatorial Africa, Madagascar.
* Pacific theater: China (eastern and northeastern parts), Korea, USSR ( Far East), Japan, South Sakhalin, Kuril Islands, Aleutian Islands, Mongolia, Hong Kong, French Indochina, Burma, Andaman Islands, Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, Dutch East Indies, Sabah, Brunei, New Guinea, Papua, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Hawaiian Islands, Guam, Wake, Midway, Mariana Islands, Caroline Islands, Marshall Islands, Gilbert Islands, many small Pacific Islands, most of the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean.

Prerequisites for the war in Europe

The Treaty of Versailles extremely limited Germany's military capabilities. However, with the coming to power of the National Socialist Workers' Party led by Adolf Hitler in 1933, Germany began to ignore all the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles - in particular, it restored conscription into the army and rapidly increased production of weapons and military equipment. October 14, 1933 Germany withdraws from the League of Nations and refuses to participate in the Geneva Disarmament Conference. July 24, 1934 Germany attempts to carry out the Anschluss of Austria by inspiring an anti-government putsch in Vienna, but is forced to abandon its plans due to the sharply negative position of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who moved four divisions to the Austrian border.

In the 1930s, Italy pursued an equally aggressive foreign policy. On October 3, 1935, it invades Ethiopia and captures it by May 1936 (see Italo-Ethiopian War). In 1936, the Italian Empire was proclaimed.

The act of unjustified aggression displeases the Western powers and the League of Nations. The deterioration of relations with Western powers is pushing Italy towards rapprochement with Germany. In January 1936, Mussolini gave his consent in principle to the annexation of Austria by the Germans, subject to their refusal to expand in the Adriatic. On March 7, 1936, German troops occupy the Rhineland demilitarized zone. Great Britain and France do not offer effective resistance to this, limiting themselves to formal protest. November 25, 1936 Germany and Japan conclude the Anti-Comintern Pact on the joint fight against communism. On November 6, 1937, Italy joins the pact.

In March 1938, Germany freely annexed Austria (see Anschluss), and in October 1938, as a result of the Munich Agreement, it annexed the Sudetenland that belonged to Czechoslovakia. Consent to this act is given by England and France, and the opinion of Czechoslovakia itself is not taken into account. On March 15, 1939, Germany, in violation of the agreement, occupied the Czech Republic (see German occupation of the Czech Republic). The German protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia is created on Czech territory. Hungary and Poland participate in the division of Czechoslovakia. Slovakia was declared an independent pro-Nazi state. On February 24, 1939, Hungary joined the Anti-Comintern Pact; on March 27, Spain joined the Anti-Comintern Pact. civil war Francisco Franco arrived.

All these actions do not meet serious resistance from Great Britain and France, who do not dare to start a war and are trying to save the system of the Versailles Treaty with reasonable, from their point of view, concessions (the so-called “policy of appeasement”). However, after Hitler’s violation of the Munich Treaty, both countries increasingly began to realize the need for a tougher policy, and in the event of further German aggression, Great Britain and France gave military guarantees to Poland. After Italy captured Albania on April 7-12, 1939 (see Italian-Albanian War), Romania and Greece received the same guarantees.

Objective conditions also made the Soviet Union an opponent of the Versailles system. Due to the internal crisis caused by the events of the First World War, October Revolution and the Civil War, the country's level of influence on European and world politics decreased significantly. At the same time, the strengthening of the regime of personal power of I.V. Stalin and the results of industrialization stimulated the leadership of the USSR to take measures to return the status of a world power. The Soviet government skillfully used official diplomatic channels, the illegal possibilities of the Comintern, social propaganda, pacifist ideas, anti-fascism, and assistance to some victims of aggressors to create the image of the main fighter for peace and social progress. Fight for " collective security“became a foreign policy tactic of Moscow, aimed at strengthening the weight of the USSR in international affairs and preventing the consolidation of other great powers without its participation. However, the Munich Agreement clearly showed that the USSR is still far from becoming an equal subject of European politics.

During the political crisis of 1939, two military-political blocs emerged in Europe: Anglo-French and German-Italian, each of which was interested in an agreement with the USSR. Under these conditions, on August 23, 1939, in Moscow, the USSR signed a Non-Aggression Treaty with Germany. The secret protocol provided for the division of spheres of influence in Eastern Europe, including the Baltic states and Poland.

Poland, having concluded alliance treaties with Great Britain and France, which are obliged to help it in the event of German aggression, refuses to make concessions in negotiations with Germany (in particular, on the issue of the Danzig Corridor). Germany, France, Great Britain and other countries begin preparations for war. As a result of mobilization, by September 1939, Germany had an army of 4.6 million people, France - 2.67 million people, Great Britain - 1.27 million people.

Invasion of Poland

On September 1, 1939, German armed forces invade Poland. Slovak troops also took part in the fighting on the side of Germany.

September 3 Great Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declare war on Germany. Within a few days, the UK and France will be joined by Canada, Newfoundland, the Union of South Africa and Nepal. The Second World War has begun.

However, on the Western Front, the allied Anglo-French troops do not take any active action (see Strange War). Only at sea did the war begin immediately: on September 3, the German submarine U-30 attacked the English passenger liner Athenia without warning.

In Poland, during the first week of fighting, German troops cut through the Polish front in several places and occupied part of Mazovia, western Prussia, the Upper Silesian industrial region and western Galicia. By September 9, the Germans managed to break down Polish resistance along the entire front line and approach Warsaw.

On September 10, Polish commander-in-chief Edward Rydz-Smigly gives the order for a general retreat to southeastern Poland, but the bulk of his troops, unable to retreat beyond the Vistula, find themselves surrounded. By mid-September, having never received support from the west, the Polish armed forces ceased to exist as a single whole; only local centers of resistance are preserved.
The Soviet government declares that it “takes under its protection the lives and property of the Ukrainian and Belarusian population of the eastern regions of Poland and will advance its troops to protect them from German aggression.” On September 17, Soviet troops invade eastern regions Poland, due to the fact that on the night of September 16-17, the Polish government and high command flee the country to Romanian territory. On September 19, the Red Army captured Vilna, on September 20 - Grodno and Lvov, and on September 23 it reached the Bug River.

Even before the USSR entered the war, on September 14, Guderian's 19th Panzer Corps captured Brest with a throw from East Prussia. The Brest Fortress was defended for several more days by Polish troops under the command of General Plisovsky. Only on the night of September 17 did its defenders leave the forts in an organized manner and retreat beyond the Bug.

On September 28, the Germans occupied Warsaw, on September 30 - Modlin, on October 2 - Hel. On October 6, the last units of the Polish army capitulate. The demarcation line between German and Soviet forces on the territory of former Poland is established in accordance with a secret protocol signed along with the Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union.

Part of the western Polish lands is transferred to the Third Reich. These lands are subject to so-called “Germanization”. The Polish and Jewish population is deported from here to the central regions of Poland. In the remaining territories, a General Government is created, where mass repressions are carried out against the Polish people. The situation of the Jews driven into the ghetto became the most difficult.

The territories ceded to the USSR were included in the Ukrainian SSR, Byelorussian SSR and Lithuania. Installed here Soviet power, socialist transformations are being carried out (nationalization of industry, collectivization of the peasantry), which is accompanied by deportations and repressions against the former “ruling classes” - representatives of the bourgeoisie, landowners, rich peasants, and part of the intelligentsia. According to one source, out of 5 million[source?] ethnic Poles living in these territories, 1.5 million[source?] were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan in 1939-1941. According to other sources, only a few tens of thousands of people were evicted from the Baltic states

October 6, 1939 Hitler makes a proposal to convene a peace conference with the participation of all major powers to resolve existing contradictions. France and Great Britain say they will agree to the conference only if the Germans immediately withdraw their troops from Poland and the Czech Republic and return these countries to independence. Germany rejected these terms, and as a result the peace conference never took place. The German command begins to prepare for an attack on the West.

Battle of the Atlantic

Despite the refusal of the peace conference, Great Britain and France from September 1939 to April 1940 continued to wage a passive war and made no attempts to attack. Active combat operations are carried out only on sea lanes. Even before the war, the German command sent Atlantic Ocean 2 battleships and 18 submarines, which, with the opening of hostilities, began attacks on merchant ships of Great Britain and its allied countries. From September to December 1939, Great Britain loses 114 ships from attacks by German submarines, and in 1940 - 471 ships, while the Germans lost only 9 submarines in 1939. Attacks on Great Britain's maritime communications led to the loss of 1/3 of the tonnage of the British merchant fleet by the summer of 1941 and created a serious threat to the country's economy.

Soviet-Finnish War

November 30, 1939 The Soviet Union invades Finland following its refusal to exchange the Karelian Isthmus for other territories and provide military bases on the islands and the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland. At the same time, the so-called “people's government” of Finland was formed in Moscow, headed by the famous Finnish communist and Comintern figure Otto Kuusinen. From December to February, Soviet troops made many attempts to break through the Mannerheim Line, but great success they do not achieve this, despite superiority in strength.

On December 14, 1939, the USSR was expelled from the League of Nations for starting a war. Great Britain and France, which consider the USSR to be an ally of Germany after the conclusion of the Non-Aggression Treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union, decide to prepare a landing force for landing on the Scandinavian Peninsula in order to prevent Germany from seizing the Swedish fields. iron ore and at the same time provide ways for the future transfer of its troops to help Finland. However, Sweden and Norway, trying to maintain neutrality, categorically refuse to accept Anglo-French troops on their territory. On February 16, 1940, British destroyers attacked the German ship Altmark in Norwegian territorial waters. 1 March Hitler, previously interested in preserving the neutrality of the Scandinavian countries, signs a directive to seize Denmark and Norway (Operation Weserübung) to prevent a possible Allied landing.

At the beginning of March 1940, Soviet troops break through the Mannerheim Line and capture Vyborg. On March 13, 1940, a peace treaty was signed in Moscow between Finland and the USSR, according to which Soviet demands were satisfied. The border between the countries on the Karelian Isthmus, in the area of ​​Leningrad and the Murmansk Railway, has been pushed to the northwest. Kuusinen's "People's Government" ceases to exist. Despite the end Winter War, the Anglo-French command continues to develop a plan for a military operation in Norway, but the Germans manage to get ahead of them.

European blitzkrieg

In Denmark, the Germans, using sea and airborne landings, freely occupy all the most important cities and destroy Danish aircraft in a few hours. Under threat of bombing civilian population Danish King Christian X is forced to sign a capitulation and orders the army to lay down their arms.

In Norway, on April 9-10, the Germans captured the main Norwegian ports of Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, and Narvik. On April 14, the Anglo-French landing force landed near Narvik, on April 16 - in Namsos, on April 17 - in Åndalsnes. On April 19, the Allies launched an offensive on Trondheim, but failed and were forced to withdraw their forces from central Norway in early May. After a series of battles for Narvik, the Allies also evacuated the northern part of the country in early June. On June 10, 1940, the last units of the Norwegian army surrendered. Norway finds itself under the control of the German occupation administration (Reichskommissariat); Denmark, declared a German protectorate, was able to maintain partial independence in internal affairs.

After Denmark's surrender, British and American troops occupy its colonies - the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland - to prevent their capture by the Germans.

May 10, 1940 Germany invades Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg with 135 divisions. The 1st Allied Army Group advances into Belgium, but does not have time to help the Dutch, since the German Army Group B makes a rapid push into southern Holland and captures Rotterdam on May 12. On May 15, the Netherlands capitulates. It was believed that in retaliation for the stubborn resistance of the Dutch, which was unexpected for the Germans, Hitler, after signing the act of surrender, ordered massive bombing of Rotterdam, which was not caused by military necessity and led to enormous destruction and casualties among civilians. At the Nuremberg trials it became clear that the bombing of Rotterdam took place on May 14. The Dutch government capitulated only after the bombing of Rotterdam and the threat of bombing of Amsterdam and The Hague.

In Belgium, on May 10, German paratroopers captured bridges over the Albert Canal, which made it possible for large German tank forces to force it before the Allies arrived and reach the Belgian Plain. Brussels fell on May 17.

But the main blow is delivered by Army Group A. Having occupied Luxembourg on May 10, three tank divisions Guderian crosses the southern Ardennes and on May 14 crosses the Meuse River west of Sedan. At the same time, Hoth's tank corps breaks through the northern Ardennes, difficult for heavy equipment, and on May 13 crosses the Meuse River north of Dinant. The German tank armada rushes to the west. The belated attacks of the French, for whom the German attack through the Ardennes turns out to be a complete surprise, are unable to contain it. On May 16, Guderian's units reach the Oise; On May 20, they reach the coast of Pas-de-Calais near Abbeville and turn north to the rear of the allied armies. 28 Anglo-Franco-Belgian divisions are surrounded.

The attempt of the French command to organize a counterattack at Arras on May 21-23 fails. On May 22, Guderian cuts off the Allies' retreat to Boulogne, on May 23 - to Calais and goes to Gravelines 10 km from Dunkirk, the last port through which the Anglo-French troops could evacuate, but on May 24 he is forced to stop the offensive for two days due to an inexplicable personal Hitler's order (“The Miracle of Dunkirk”). The respite allows the Allies to strengthen the defenses of Dunkirk and launch Operation Dynamo to evacuate their forces by sea. On May 26, German troops break through the Belgian front in West Flanders, and on May 28, Belgium, despite the demands of the Allies, capitulates. On the same day, in the Lille area, the Germans surrounded a large French group, which surrendered on May 31. Part of the French troops (114 thousand) [source?] and almost the entire English army (224 thousand) were taken out on British ships through Dunkirk. The Germans take over all British and French artillery and armored vehicles, vehicles abandoned by the Allies during the retreat. After Dunkirk, Great Britain found itself practically unarmed, although it retained its army personnel.

On June 5, German troops begin an offensive in the Lahn-Abbeville sector. Attempts by the French command to hastily plug the gap in the defense with unprepared divisions were unsuccessful. The French are losing one battle after another. The French defense disintegrates, and the command hastily withdraws its troops to the south.

June 10 Italy declares war on Great Britain and France. Italian troops invade the southern regions of France, but cannot advance far. On the same day, the French government evacuates Paris. On June 11, the Germans cross the Marne at Chateau-Thierry. On June 14 they entered Paris without a fight, and two days later they entered the Rhone Valley. On June 16, Marshal Pétain forms a new government of France, which already on the night of June 17 turns to Germany with a request for a truce. On June 18, French General Charles De Gaulle, who fled to London, calls on the French to continue their resistance. On June 21, the Germans, having encountered virtually no resistance, reached the Loire in the Nantes-Tours section, and on the same day their tanks occupied Lyon.

On June 22, a Franco-German armistice was signed in Compiegne, according to which France agreed to the occupation of most of its territory, the demobilization of almost the entire ground army and the internment of the navy and air force. In the free zone, as a result of the coup d'etat on July 10, the authoritarian regime of Pétain (Vichy Regime) was established, which set a course for close cooperation with Germany (collaborationism). Despite the military weakness of France, the defeat of this country was so sudden and complete that it defied any rational explanation.

The commander-in-chief of the Vichy troops, Francois Darlan, gives the order to withdraw the entire French fleet to the shores of French North Africa. Due to fears that the entire French fleet might fall under the control of Germany and Italy, on July 3, 1940, British naval forces and aircraft attacked French ships at Mers-el-Kebir. By the end of July, the British have destroyed or neutralized almost the entire French fleet.

Expansion of the bloc of fascist states. Battles in the Balkans and the Middle East

The US government is gradually beginning to reconsider its foreign policy course. It increasingly actively supports Great Britain, becoming its “non-belligerent ally” (see Atlantic Charter). In May 1940, Congress approved an amount of 3 billion dollars for the needs of the army and navy, and in the summer - 6.5 billion, including 4 billion for the construction of a “fleet of two oceans.” Supplies of weapons and equipment for Great Britain are increasing. September 2, 1940 The United States transfers 50 destroyers to Great Britain in exchange for the lease of 8 military bases in the British colonies in the Western Hemisphere. According to the law adopted by the US Congress on March 11, 1941 on the transfer of military materials to warring countries on loan or lease (see Lend-Lease), Great Britain was allocated $7 billion. Lend-Lease later extended to China, Greece and Yugoslavia. The North Atlantic has been declared a “patrol zone” for the US navy, which is simultaneously beginning to escort merchant ships heading to the UK.

On September 27, 1940, Germany, Italy and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact: delimitation of zones of influence in establishing a new order and mutual military assistance. At the Soviet-German negotiations held in November 1940, German diplomats invited the USSR to join this pact. The Soviet government declares that it will agree if the Germans agree to the entry of Soviet troops into Romania, Bulgaria, Finland and Turkey[source?]. The Germans do not accept such conditions. After an attempt to conclude a military alliance with the USSR fails, Hitler approves a plan to attack the USSR. For these purposes, Germany begins to look for allies in Eastern Europe. On November 20, Hungary joined the Triple Alliance, on November 23 - Romania, on November 24 - Slovakia, in 1941 - Bulgaria, Finland and Spain. On March 25, 1941, Yugoslavia joined the pact, but on March 27, in Belgrade, as a result of the actions of British agents, a military coup took place, and the Simovic government came to power, declaring young Peter II king and proclaiming the neutrality of Yugoslavia. April 5 Yugoslavia concludes a treaty of friendship and non-aggression with the USSR. In view of undesirable developments for Germany, Hitler decides to conduct a military operation against Yugoslavia and help Italian troops in Greece.

On April 6, 1941, after a massive bombing of major cities, railway junctions and airfields, Germany and Hungary invade Yugoslavia. At the same time, Italian troops, with the support of the Germans, are conducting another offensive in Greece. By April 8, the armed forces of Yugoslavia were cut into several parts and actually ceased to exist as a single whole. On April 9, German troops, having passed through Yugoslav territory, entered Greece and captured Thessaloniki, forcing the Greek East Macedonian Army to capitulate. On April 10, the Germans capture Zagreb. On April 11, Croatian Nazi leader Ante Pavelić proclaims the independence of Croatia and calls on Croats to leave the ranks of the Yugoslav army, which further undermines its combat effectiveness. On April 13, the Germans capture Belgrade. On April 15, the Yugoslav government fled the country. On April 16, German troops enter Sarajevo. On April 16, the Italians occupied Bar and the island of Krk, and on April 17, Dubrovnik. On the same day, the Yugoslav army capitulates, and 344 thousand of its soldiers and officers are captured.

After the defeat of Yugoslavia, the Germans and Italians threw all their forces into Greece. On April 20, the Epirus army capitulates. An attempt by the Anglo-Australian command to create a defensive line at Thermopylae in order to block the Wehrmacht's path to central Greece was unsuccessful, and on April 20 the command of the allied forces decided to evacuate its forces. On April 21, Ioannina was captured. On April 23, Tsolakoglu signs the act of general surrender of the Greek armed forces. On April 24, King George II fled to Crete with the government. On the same day, the Germans captured the islands of Lemnos, Pharos and Samothrace. On April 27, Athens was captured.

On May 20, the Germans land troops on Crete, which is in the hands of the British. Although the British fleet thwarted the Germans' attempt to deliver reinforcements by sea, on May 21 the paratroopers captured the airfield at Maleme and ensured the transfer of reinforcements by air. Despite stubborn defense, British troops were forced to leave Crete by May 31. By June 2, the island was completely occupied. But due to the heavy losses of German paratroopers, Hitler abandoned plans for further landing operations to capture Cyprus and the Suez Canal.

As a result of the invasion, Yugoslavia was dismembered. Germany annexes northern Slovenia, Hungary - western Vojvodina, Bulgaria - Vardar Macedonia, Italy - southern Slovenia, part of the Dalmatian coast, Montenegro and Kosovo. Croatia declared independent state under the Italian-German protectorate. The collaborationist government of Nedić was created in Serbia.

After the defeat of Greece, Bulgaria annexes eastern Macedonia and western Thrace; the rest of the country is divided into Italian (western) and German (eastern) occupation zones.
On April 1, 1941, as a result of a coup in Iraq, the pro-German nationalist group of Rashid Ali-Gailani seizes power. By agreement with the Vichy regime, Germany on May 12 begins transporting military equipment to Iraq through Syria, a French mandate. But the Germans, busy preparing for war with the USSR, are not able to provide significant assistance to the Iraqi nationalists. British troops invade Iraq and overthrow the government of Ali Gailani. On June 8, the British, together with units of the Free French, invade Syria and Lebanon and by mid-July force the Vichy troops to capitulate.

According to the leadership of Great Britain and the USSR, there was a threat of involvement in 1941 on the side of Germany as an active ally of Iran. Therefore, from August 25, 1941 to September 17, 1941, a joint Anglo-Soviet operation to occupy Iran was carried out. Its goal was to protect Iranian oil fields from possible capture by German troops and to protect the transport corridor (southern corridor), along which the Allies carried out Lend-Lease supplies to the Soviet Union. During the operation, Allied forces invaded Iran and took control of the railways and oil fields Iran. At the same time, British troops occupied southern Iran. Soviet troops occupied northern Iran.

The troops of Romania, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Slovakia, and Croatia fought on the side of Germany in the war against the USSR. In addition, volunteer units of the Spaniards, Belgians, Dutch, French, Danes, and Norwegians fought on the side of Germany against the USSR.

Romania declared war on the USSR on June 22, 1941. The Romanians set themselves the task of returning Bessarabia and Bukovina, which the USSR included in its composition in the summer of 1940. In addition, Romania wanted to take away Transnistria (the territory from the Dniester to the Southern Bug) from the Soviets. Since June 22, Romanian troops tried to seize bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Prut River (at the same time, on June 25-26, 1941, the Soviet Danube Flotilla landed troops on Romanian territory, Soviet aviation and ships of the Black Sea Fleet bombed and shelled Romanian oil fields and other objects). Romanian troops began active hostilities by crossing the Prut River on July 2, 1941. By July 26, Romanian troops occupied the territories of Bessarabia and Bukovina. Then the Romanian 3rd Army advanced in Ukraine, crossed the Dnieper in September and reached the coast of the Azov Sea. From the end of October 1941, units of the Romanian 3rd Army participated in the seizure of Crimea (together with the German 11th Army under the command of von Manstein). From the beginning of August 1941, the Romanian 4th Army led an operation to capture Odessa. By September 10, 12 Romanian divisions and 5 brigades were assembled to capture Odessa, with a total number of up to 200 thousand people (as well as German units - an infantry regiment, an assault battalion and 2 heavy artillery regiments). After heavy fighting, Odessa was captured by Romanian troops on October 16, 1941. The losses of the Romanian 4th Army in this operation amounted to 29 thousand dead and missing and 63 thousand wounded. In August 1942, the Romanian 3rd Army (3 cavalry and 1 mountain divisions) took part in the German offensive in the Caucasus. In August, Romanian cavalry divisions took Taman, Anapa, Novorossiysk (the latter together with German troops), the Romanian mountain division captured Nalchik in October 1942. In the fall of 1942, Romanian troops occupied positions in the Stalingrad area (now Volgograd). Romanian 3rd Army (8 infantry and 2 cavalry divisions, totaling 150 thousand people) - a front section 140 km northwest of this city, Romanian 4th Army (5 infantry and 2 cavalry divisions, totaling 75 thousand people) - a section of the front 300 km south of it. On November 19, 1942, the troops of two Soviet fronts went on the offensive, and on November 23 they formed an encirclement ring around Stalingrad, which included the German 6th Army, part of the troops of the German 4th Army, and the Romanian 6 infantry and 1 cavalry divisions. By the end of January 1943, the Romanian 3rd and 4th armies were practically destroyed - their total losses amounted to almost 160 thousand dead, missing and wounded. At the beginning of 1943, 6 Romanian divisions, with a total strength of 65 thousand people, fought (as part of the German 17th Army) in the Kuban. In September 1943 these troops retreated to Crimea. In April-May 1944, Soviet troops captured Crimea. Romanian troops in Crimea lost more than a third of their personnel, the rest were evacuated by sea to Romania. On August 23, 1944, a coup was carried out in Romania, and the Romanian army began to fight together with the Red Army against Germany and Hungary. In total, up to 200 thousand Romanians died in the war against the USSR (including 55 thousand who died in Soviet captivity). 18 Romanians were awarded the German Knight's Cross, of whom three also received Oak leaves to the Knight's Crosses.

Italy

Italy declared war on the USSR on June 22, 1941. The motivation is Mussolini’s initiative, which he proposed since January 1940 - “a pan-European campaign against Bolshevism.” At the same time, Italy had no territorial claims to any zone of occupation of the USSR. The Italian Expeditionary Force for the war against the USSR was created on July 10, 1941, consisting of one cavalry and two infantry divisions, with corps artillery and two air groups (reconnaissance and fighter). In total there were 62 thousand soldiers and officers in the corps. There were 220 guns, 60 machine-gun tankettes, aviation - 50 fighters and 20 reconnaissance aircraft. The corps was sent to the southern section of the German-Soviet front (through Austria, Hungary, Romania), for operations in the south of Ukraine. The first clash between the advanced units of the Italian corps and units of the Red Army took place on August 10, 1941, on the Southern Bug River. In September 1941, the Italian corps fought on the Dnieper, on a 100-km section in the Dneprodzerzhinsk area. In October-November 1941, the Italian corps participated in the German offensive to capture Donbass. Then, until July 1942, the Italians stood on the defensive, fighting local battles with units of the Red Army. The losses of the Italian corps from August 1941 to June 1942 were: more than 1,600 dead, more than 400 missing, almost 6,300 wounded, more than 3,600 frostbitten. In July 1942, Italian troops on the territory of the USSR were significantly strengthened. The 8th Italian Army was formed, consisting of 3 corps (10 divisions in total, the total number of the army reached 230 thousand people in September 1942, 940 guns, 31 light tanks (20 mm gun), 19 self-propelled guns (47 mm gun ), aviation - 41 fighters and 23 reconnaissance aircraft). In the fall of 1942, the Italian army occupied positions on the Don River (an area of ​​more than 250 km), northwest of Stalingrad (now Volgograd). In December 1942 - January 1943, the Italians repelled the offensive of the Red Army. As a result, the Italian army was virtually defeated - 21 thousand Italians died, 64 thousand were missing. The remaining 145 thousand Italians were withdrawn to Italy in March 1943. Italian losses in the USSR from August 1941 to February 1943 amounted to about 90 thousand dead and missing. According to Soviet data, 49 thousand Italians were captured, of which 21 thousand Italians were released from Soviet captivity in 1946-1956. Thus, in total, about 70 thousand Italians died in the war against the USSR and in Soviet captivity. 9 Italians were awarded German Knights

Finland

On June 25, 1941, Soviet aviation carried out bombing attacks on populated areas of Finland. On June 26, Finland declared itself in a state of war with the USSR. Finland intended to return the territories taken from it in March 1940, as well as annex Karelia. On June 30, 1941, Finnish troops (11 infantry divisions and 4 brigades, totaling about 150 thousand people) went on the offensive in the direction of Vyborg and Petrozavodsk. By the end of August 1941, the Finns reached the approaches to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) on ​​the Karelian Isthmus, and by the beginning of October 1941 they occupied almost the entire territory of Karelia (except for the coast of the White Sea and Zaonezhye), after which they went on the defensive at the achieved lines. From the end of 1941 to the summer of 1944, there were practically no military operations on the Soviet-Finnish front, except for raids by Soviet partisans (formed from conscripts of the Ural region) into the territory of Karelia and bombing by Soviet aviation of Finnish settlements. On June 9, 1944, Soviet troops (totaling up to 500 thousand people) went on the offensive against the Finns (16 infantry divisions, about 200 thousand people). During heavy fighting that lasted until August 1944, Soviet troops took Petrozavodsk, Vyborg and in one section reached the Soviet-Finnish border in March 1940. On August 29, 1944, Soviet troops went on the defensive. On September 1, 1944, Marshal Mannerheim proposed a truce; on September 4, Stalin agreed to a truce. After which Finnish troops retreated to the border in March 1940. 54 thousand Finns died in the war against the USSR. 2 Finns were awarded the German Knight's Cross, including Marshal Mannerheim who received the Oak Leaves for the Knight's Cross.

Hungary

Hungary declared war on the USSR on June 27, 1941, after Soviet aircraft bombed Hungarian settlements. Hungary had no territorial claims to the USSR, the motivation was “revenge on the Bolsheviks for the communist revolution of 1919 in Hungary.” On July 1, 1941, Hungary sent the “Carpathian Group” (5 brigades, totaling 40 thousand people) to the war against the USSR, which fought as part of the German 17th Army in Ukraine. In July 1941, the group was divided - 2 infantry brigades began to serve as rear guards, and the “fast corps” (2 motorized and 1 cavalry brigades, a total of 25 thousand people, with several dozen light tanks and wedges) continued to advance. By November 1941, the “fast corps” suffered heavy losses - up to 12 thousand killed, missing and wounded, all tankettes and almost all light tanks were lost. The corps was returned to Hungary. At the same time, the Hungarian 4 infantry and 2 cavalry brigades (with a total number of 60 thousand people) remained at the front and in the rear areas. In April 1942, the Hungarian 2nd Army (about 200 thousand people) was sent to the war against the USSR. In June 1942, it went on the offensive in the Voronezh direction, as part of the German offensive on the southern sector of the German-Soviet front. In January 1943, the Hungarian 2nd Army was practically destroyed during the Soviet offensive (up to 100 thousand dead and up to 60 thousand captured, most of them wounded). In May 1943, the remnants of the army (about 40 thousand people) were withdrawn to Hungary. In the fall of 1944, all Hungarian armed forces (three armies) fought against the Red Army, already on the territory of Hungary. The fighting in Hungary ended in April 1945, but some Hungarian units continued to fight in Austria until the German surrender on May 8, 1945. More than 200 thousand Hungarians died in the war against the USSR (including 55 thousand who died in Soviet captivity). 8 Hungarians were awarded the German Knight's Cross.

Slovakia

Slovakia took part in the war against the USSR as part of the “pan-European campaign against Bolshevism.” She had no territorial claims to the USSR. 2 Slovak divisions were sent to the war against the USSR. One division (consisting of 2 infantry regiments, an artillery regiment, a battalion of light tanks, numbering 8 thousand people) fought in Ukraine in 1941, in the Kuban in 1942, and performed security functions in the Crimea in 1943-1944. Another division (consisting of 2 infantry regiments and an artillery regiment, 8 thousand people) performed security functions in Ukraine in 1941-1942, and in Belarus in 1943-1944. About 3.5 thousand Slovaks died in the war against the USSR.

Croatia

Croatia took part in the war against the USSR as part of the “pan-European campaign against Bolshevism.” She had no territorial claims to the USSR. 1 volunteer Croatian regiment (3 infantry battalions and 1 artillery battalion, with a total number of 3.9 thousand people) was sent to the war against the USSR. The regiment arrived at the front in October 1941. Fought in the Donbass, and in 1942 in Stalingrad (now Volgograd). By February 1943, the Croatian regiment was practically destroyed - about 700 Croats were taken prisoner by the Soviets. About 2 thousand Croats died in the war against the USSR.

Spain did not officially declare war against the USSR, but organized the sending of one volunteer division to the front. The motivation is revenge for the Comintern sending International Brigades to Spain during the Civil War. The Spanish division (18 thousand people) was sent to the northern section of the German-Soviet front. From October 1941 - she fought in the Volkhov region, from August 1942 - near Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). In October 1943, the division was returned to Spain, but about 2 thousand volunteers remained to fight in the Spanish Legion (three battalions). The Legion was disbanded in March 1944, but about 300 Spaniards wished to fight further, and from them 2 companies of SS troops were formed, which fought against the Red Army until the end of the war. About 5 thousand Spaniards died in the war against the USSR (452 ​​Spaniards were captured by the Soviets). 2 Spaniards were awarded the German Knight's Cross, including one who received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.

In 1941, two volunteer legions were formed in Belgium for the war against the USSR. They differed in ethnicity - Flemish and Walloon, both of battalion size. In the fall of 1941 they were sent to the German-Soviet front - the Walloon Legion to the southern sector (Rostov-on-Don, then Kuban), the Flemish Legion to the northern sector (Volkhov). In June 1943, both legions were reorganized into brigades of SS troops - the volunteer SS brigade "Langemarck" and the volunteer assault brigade of the SS troops "Wallonia". In October, the brigades were renamed into divisions (remaining the same composition - 2 infantry regiments each). At the end of the war, both the Flemings and Walloons fought against the Red Army in Pomerania. About 5 thousand Belgians died in the war against the USSR (2 thousand Belgians were taken prisoner by the Soviets). 4 Belgians were awarded the German Knight's Cross, including one who received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.

Netherlands

The Dutch Volunteer Legion (a motorized battalion of 5 companies) was formed in July 1941. In January 1942, the Dutch Legion arrived on the northern section of the German-Soviet front, in the Volkhov area. Then the legion was transferred to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). In May 1943, the Dutch Legion was reorganized into the volunteer brigade of SS troops "Netherlands" (consisting of two motorized regiments and other units, with a total number of 9 thousand people). In 1944, one of the regiments of the Dutch brigade was practically destroyed in the battles near Narva. In the fall of 1944, the brigade retreated to Courland, and in January 1945 it was evacuated to Germany by sea. In February 1945, the brigade was renamed a division, although its strength was greatly reduced due to losses. By May 1945, the Dutch division was practically destroyed in battles against the Red Army. About 8 thousand Dutch people died in the war against the USSR (more than 4 thousand Dutch people were taken prisoner by the Soviets). 4 Dutchmen were awarded the German Knight's Cross.

France

The French Volunteer Legion for the war against the Bolsheviks was created in July 1941. In October 1941, the French Legion (an infantry regiment of 2.5 thousand people) was sent to the German-Soviet front, in the Moscow direction. The French suffered heavy losses there, and from the spring of 1942 to the summer of 1944, the legion was removed from the front and sent to fight against Soviet partisans in the rear. In the summer of 1944, the French legion actually found itself on the front line again (as a result of the Red Army's offensive in Belarus), again suffered heavy losses and was withdrawn to Germany. In September 1944, the French volunteer legion was disbanded, and a French brigade of SS troops (numbering more than 7 thousand people) was created in its place. In February 1945, the French SS brigade was renamed the 33rd SS Grenadier Division "Charlemagne" ("Charlemagne") and sent to the front in Pomerania against the Soviet forces. In March 1945, the French division was almost destroyed. The remnants of the French division (about 700 people) defended themselves in Berlin at the end of April 1945. About 8 thousand French died in the war against the USSR (not counting the Alsatians conscripted into the Wehrmacht). 3 Frenchmen were awarded the German Knight's Cross.

The Danish government (social democratic) did not declare war on the USSR, but did not interfere with the formation of the Danish volunteer corps, and officially allowed members of the Danish army to join it (indefinite leave with retention of rank). In July-December 1941, more than 1 thousand people joined the Danish volunteer corps (the name “corps” was symbolic, in fact – a battalion). In May 1942, the Danish corps was sent to the front, to the Demyansk region. Since December 1942, the Danes fought in the Velikiye Luki region. At the beginning of June 1943, the Danish Volunteer Corps was disbanded, many of its members, as well as new volunteers, joined the Danemark regiment of the 11th SS Volunteer Division Nordland (Danish-Norwegian division). In January 1944, the division was sent to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Then she took part in the battle of Narva. In January 1945 the division fought against the Red Army in Pomerania, and in April 1945 there were battles in Berlin. About 2 thousand Danes died in the war against the USSR (456 Danes were captured by the Soviets). 3 Danes were awarded the German Knight's Cross.

Norway

The Norwegian government in July 1941 announced the formation of the Norwegian Volunteer Legion to be sent to help Finland in the war against the USSR. In February 1942, after training in Germany, the Norwegian Legion (1 battalion, numbering 1.2 thousand people) was sent to the German-Soviet front, near Leningrad. In May 1943, the Norwegian Legion was disbanded, most of its fighters joined the Norwegian regiment of the 11th SS Volunteer Division Nordland (Danish-Norwegian division). In January 1944, the division was sent to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Then she took part in the battle of Narva. In January 1945 the division fought against the Red Army in Pomerania, and in April 1945 there were battles in Berlin. About 1 thousand Norwegians died in the war against the USSR (100 Norwegians were taken prisoner by the Soviets).

P.S. As you can see, they are all the same ones that squeal and squeal today. European integrators.

Of the German troops concentrated on June 22, 1941 on the German-Soviet border, 20% were troops of Hitler’s European allies

Seventy years ago the Great Patriotic War began. The date is as tragic as it is majestic. For all peoples of the former Soviet Union. But for Europe, excuse me, it is shameful. And I am not blasphemous at all. Judge for yourself.

In July 2009, in Vilnius, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution “Reuniting a Divided Europe: Promoting Human Rights and Civil Liberties in the OSCE Region in the 21st Century.” There are words in this document, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II, that are stunning in their cynicism: “... in the twentieth century, European countries experienced two powerful totalitarian regimes, Nazi and Stalin...” If you follow this logic of European deputies, it turns out that Hitler and Stalin together attacked Europe. Apparently, gentlemen, they forgot that there was also the Anschluss of 1938 - the annexation of Austria to Germany, after which Austria disappeared, and Ostmark appeared in its place. Dear gentlemen, they also do not remember that with the treacherous Munich Agreement (conspiracy) of 1938, Europe handed Czechoslovakia over to Hitler to be torn to pieces. Apparently, the fact that Poland was defeated in 18 days, and only then Soviet troops were brought into its eastern regions, France fell after 14 days (capitulated, pay attention to this strange coincidence, 22) has completely disappeared from the mass consciousness of Europeans. June 1940), and Hitler's entire European campaign took six weeks.

And by that time the Third Reich represented not only Germany. It also officially included Austria, the Sudetenland, the “Baltic corridor” captured from Poland, Poznan and Upper Silesia, as well as Luxembourg, Lorraine and Alsace, and Upper Corinthia cut off from Yugoslavia. Germany's allies included Norway, Finland, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Spain, which allowed Hitler to form an additional 59 divisions during the war years, including 20 SS, 23 separate brigades, several separate regiments, legions and battalions.

The Fuhrer believed that on August 25 his troops would march victoriously through Moscow, as planned by the Barbarossa plan. (Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, we note, was a participant in the Third Crusade, during which he drowned in the river. Symbolically, however!)

In June 1941, a crusade also began, the last and decisive one, designed to finally crown the triumph of Western civilization. The dream of Pope Pius XI came true, who back in February 1930 called for a united campaign against the USSR, and in 1933 concluded a concordat (agreement) with Nazi Germany. The era of a thousand years of struggle was to be replaced by an era of thousand years of European domination. Hitler's defeat turned out to be the collapse of the West's centuries-old strategy. And the West to this day cannot forgive itself for the largest civilizational failure in history. This is evidenced, first of all, by the very fact of the adoption of the OSCE PA resolution, by which Europe, equating the Soviet Union with Nazi Germany, places equal responsibility for the outbreak of World War II on both states. With open cynicism, thus trying to remove, first of all, responsibility for the Great European War. Even despite the fact that on September 1, 2009 in Gdansk, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared to the whole world: “We recognize that Germany attacked Poland and unleashed the Second world war and caused incredible suffering,” the beating of drums was heard again in Europe and the frightening sound was: “Die Russen kommen” (“The Russians are coming”).

Yes, calm down, finally, no one is coming to you with a sword, and no one is going to come. It was you who came to us as uninvited guests 70 years ago, almost completely European composition. Finland allocated 16 divisions and 3 brigades for the war with the USSR, Romania - 13 divisions and 9 brigades, Hungary - 4 brigades. In total - 29 divisions and 16 brigades of allied forces.

And when, a little later, Italian and Slovak contingents joined the Germans, by the end of July 41, the troops of Germany’s allied countries made up almost 30% of the fascist forces.

Even in the victorious April of 1945, formations allied to the Red Army - Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Czechoslovak, French - accounted for only 12% of the number of Soviet troops operating at the front.

In total, 5.5 million people, 47.2 thousand guns and mortars, 4.3 thousand tanks and about 5 thousand combat aircraft were concentrated in the eastern group of forces of Nazi Germany and its allies. The Wehrmacht also had captured tanks from Czechoslovakia and France. The armies of Italy, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Slovakia, and Croatia participated in the war against the Soviet Union. The Bulgarian army was involved in the occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia; there were no ground units on the Eastern Front. Large military contingents from France, Poland, Belgium, Albania and other countries fought against the USSR. The anti-Hitler coalition was also opposed by collaborator states - Vichy France (capital of Vichy, puppet regime of Pétain), Norway (Quisling regime), the Netherlands (Mussert regime), Slovakia (pro-fascist Tiso regime). Thus, participation in the “march to the East” was practically institutionalized.

Together, so to speak, with the official allies of Germany, citizens of those countries that did not officially fight with the USSR and even, strange as it may seem, were also our allies, took part in the war against the USSR. The above-mentioned “Legion of French Volunteers”, numbering over six thousand people, went to the Eastern Front already in August 1941.

In addition to the French, separate battalions of the Dutch, Norwegians, and Danes fought against the Red Army as part of the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front. Although Spain was not officially at war with the Soviet Union, nevertheless, from October 1941 to the end of 1943, there was a Spanish “Blue Division” on the Eastern Front. 47 thousand people passed through the division by rotation, four thousand of them died, more than one and a half thousand were captured. The Blue Division was located mainly under besieged Leningrad.

The issue of besieged Leningrad should have long been raised separately, and at a level no lower than the UN. In its odious resolution, the OSCE noted the “uniqueness of the Holocaust.” But an act of genocide was actually committed against the Leningraders.

In Leningrad, 700,000 people died from hunger alone. The city was blocked by troops from Germany, Spain, Italy, and Finland. Their crime is that they did not provide the population with humanitarian corridors for the supply of food and for civilians to leave the besieged city, which resulted in colossal casualties.

Europe, obviously, is impressed exclusively by the Katyn graves of Polish officers, but not by the Leningrad graves of old people, women and children.

And if we continue the conversation about “crimes against humanity,” which is emphasized in the European resolution, then we must also talk about the attitude towards prisoners of war. In addition to the Germans, 1.1 million citizens of European countries were captured in Soviet captivity, among them 500 thousand Hungarians, almost 157 thousand Austrians, 70 thousand Czechs and Slovaks, 60 thousand Poles, about 50 thousand Italians, 23 thousand French, 50 thousand Spaniards. There were also Dutch, Finns, Norwegians, Danes, Belgians and others. 14.9% of all captured Nazis died in our camps. In the Germans - 58% of the captured Red Army soldiers, 2.6% of the French and 4% of the Americans and British.

There is an opinion that millions Soviet soldiers died in captivity because Stalin did not sign the Geneva Convention regulating the humane treatment of prisoners. But Germany signed it and was obliged to comply. The USSR signature did not matter. The Nazis simply did not consider Russians to be people. The conclusion is clearly not in favor of Europe. Especially considering that, say, France lost more than 600 thousand military personnel killed and wounded in the war (Arthur Banks, “A World Atlas of Military History”, B.Ts. Urlanis, “Wars and population of Europe"

“History of the Second World War 1939-1945”, vol. 3): 84 thousand fell in combat while defending national territory, 20 thousand - in the Resistance. And where did the remaining 500 thousand French citizens die and were wounded, on which German fronts? The question is purely rhetorical. The situation is very similar with Poland, Belgium and other “active fighters against fascism.” By the way, the weapons that Germany captured in the occupied countries were enough to form 200 divisions. Why is it that the Europeans, who today put the Stalinist and Hitlerite regimes on the same level, did not arm themselves and act against both dictators at once? Or - at least against one? Instead, European countries silently shouldered the costs of maintaining German occupation forces on their territories. France, for example, since the summer of 1940 has allocated 20 million German marks daily, and since the autumn of 1942 - 25 million. These funds were more than enough not only to provide the German troops with everything they needed, but also for the war against the USSR. European countries supplied Nazi Germany with more than 80 billion marks, of which France gave 35 billion.

And, I emphasize, it was not in the Wehrmacht that the most ideological non-German participants in the war were concentrated. Much more of them were in the SS.

In 1943-1944. Seven new SS divisions appeared: an Albanian mountain rifle division, a Hungarian cavalry and two infantry divisions, two Croatian mountain rifle divisions, and the 14th Grenadier Division of the SS “Galicia” formed in Western Ukraine. The Germans also considered the Dutch, Belgians, Danes and British to be peoples of Germanic origin. The so-called German SS formations consisted in the second half of 1943 of the divisions “Netherlands”, “Landstorm Netherlands”, “Nordland”, “Langermak”, “Wallonia”. The 29th SS Infantry Division (Italian), the 31st SS Infantry Division "Bohemia and Moravia" (from Czech volunteers, mainly Volksdeutsch), the 33rd SS Infantry Division "Charlemagne" (from French volunteers). On the number and nationality of “German” volunteers in the SS troops as of January 31, 1944, the following data (people) are available: Norwegians - 5,878, Danes - 7,006, Dutch - 18,473, Flemings - 6,033, Walloons - 2,812, Swedes - 601, Swiss - 1,584, French - 3,480, British - 432, Irish - 115, Scots - 107. Total: 46,521 people, that is, a full-blooded army corps. The last soldier to receive the Knight's Cross for bravery on April 29, 1945 in the Reich Chancellery was the French SS volunteer Eugene Valot, and the French SS battalion from the Charlemagne division defended the Reichstag when the Germans had already fled from there (Russian Special Forces, N 07 (58) , July 2001). During the war years, the German Wehrmacht and SS troops recruited over 1.8 million people from among the citizens of European states and nationalities.

Let us remind those who today, while restoring the “national memory,” have suddenly lost their historical memory, of one curious detail. The criminal nature of the SS organization as a whole was recognized by the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal: “The SS was used for purposes that are criminal and include the persecution and extermination of Jews, atrocities and murders in concentration camps, excesses committed in the administration of occupied territories, the implementation of the slave program labor, ill-treatment with prisoners of war and their murders...” The Tribunal included members of the Waffen-SS and members of any kind of police services in the SS, emphasizing that “it is impossible to single out any part of the SS that did not take part in this criminal activity.” And today, in front of the whole of Europe, in the Baltics and Ukraine, the fascists and their modern descendants are being glorified. There is, obviously, for what and for what reason.

The entire European economy, from Norway to France and Czechoslovakia, worked for the fascist war machine. Even neutral countries, such as Sweden and Switzerland, provided assistance to Nazi Germany, some with iron ore, steel, others with money, precision instruments, etc. The Swedes also supplied bearings and rare earth elements to Germany. German military orders were carried out by all large, technically advanced enterprises in Europe. Suffice it to say that only the Czech Skoda factories in the year before the attack on Poland produced as much military products as the entire British military industry. The entire European potential was thrown into the war against the USSR, whose potential, by formal economic standards, was approximately four times smaller (and decreased by approximately half in the first six months of the war).

One English historian correctly wrote that it was then that “Europe became an economic whole.” So shouldn't she today recognize, as in fact, Hitler as the first president of the European Union (posthumously)?

But that's not all. Germany received significant assistance from the United States and Latin America through intermediaries. The Rockefeller oil corporation Standard Oil, for example, sold Hitler gasoline and lubricants for 20 million dollars. One Venezuelan branch of Standard Oil sent 13 thousand tons of oil monthly to Germany, which the powerful chemical industry of the Reich immediately processed into gasoline. Until the middle of 1944, the tanker fleet of “neutral” Spain worked almost exclusively for the needs of the Wehrmacht, supplying it with American “black gold”, formally intended for Madrid. It got to the point that German submarines, refueling with American fuel directly from Spanish tankers, immediately set out to sink American transports transporting weapons for the USSR.

The matter was not limited to fuel. The Germans received tungsten, synthetic rubber, parts and spare parts for the automobile industry from overseas, with which the Fuhrer was supplied by his great friend Mr. Henry Ford Sr. It is known that 30% of tires manufactured at Ford factories went to the Wehrmacht, and only in the fall of 1942, the Ford branch in Switzerland repaired two thousand German trucks. As for the total volume of Ford-Rockefeller supplies to Germany, there is still no complete information: a commercial secret, they say. But the information leaked out is quite enough to understand: trade with Berlin was no less intense than with Moscow. The profits that the Americans received are truly astronomical in numbers. However, as practice has shown, sworn friends also helped the Soviet Union, not at a loss to their own pockets.

Lend-Lease was not free. We paid for everything in gold, caviar, and fur. In addition, already in the 70s, the USSR undertook to gradually pay the United States $722 million. After the collapse of the USSR, Russia assumed the Lend-Lease debt, transferring the last installment in 2001.

According to State Duma deputy and MGIMO professor Vladimir Medinsky, in 1940 there were eight million unemployed in America, and in 1942 there were none. Medinsky also quotes a very interesting statement from Wilson, a history professor at the University of Kansas: “The spread of overeating was one of the signs of a noticeable increase in the standard of living of Americans during the war.” And in a brief comment he aptly notes: since then, Americans have been the fattest nation on the planet, and as soon as they start losing weight, a war immediately breaks out somewhere. Is it not in North Africa and the Middle East now?

The blitzkrieg, however, did not work out. It was also not possible to defeat the Soviet Union. Moreover, during different periods of the war, from 190 to 266 of the most combat-ready divisions of the fascist bloc operated against the Red Army. Note that the Anglo-American troops in North Africa were opposed by 9 to 20 divisions, in Italy up to 26, in Western Europe after June 1944 - from 56 to 75 divisions. On the Soviet-German front, the German armed forces suffered more than 73% losses.

The Red Army defeated 507 Nazi and 100 allied divisions, almost 3.5 times more than the allies on all fronts of World War II.

The bulk of the Wehrmacht's military equipment was destroyed here: more than 75% of aircraft (over 70 thousand), up to 75% of tanks and assault guns (about 50 thousand), 74% of artillery pieces (167 thousand), etc. On the eastern front The fighting was carried out with the greatest intensity. Of the 1,418 days of the war, active battles took place 1,320. On the North African front, respectively, out of 1,068 - 309; Italian out of 663 - 49. The spatial scope was: along the front 4 - 6 thousand km, which is four times more than the North African, Italian and Western European fronts combined. In terms of its scale and strategic significance, the four-year battle on the Soviet-German front became the main integral part The Second World War, since the main burden of the fight against Nazi aggression fell on our country.

The Soviet people made the greatest sacrifice on the altar of Victory. The USSR lost 26.6 million people, tens of millions were wounded and maimed, the birth rate fell sharply, and the standard of living of the population dropped significantly. Enormous damage was caused to the national economy. The cost of damage amounted to 679 billion rubles. 1,710 cities and towns, more than 70 thousand villages, more than six million buildings, 32 thousand enterprises, 65 thousand km of railways were destroyed and burned. The war devastated the treasury and led to a number of negative consequences in the economy, demography, psychology, morality, which together amounted to incredibly large indirect costs of the war.

The given figure - 679 billion rubles, unfortunately, does not exhaust all the losses of the USSR. During the Patriotic War alone, the following was underproduced, and therefore lost, by the national economy in the occupied regions of the USSR: 307 million tons of coal, 72 billion kWh of electricity, 38 million tons of steel, 136 thousand tons of aluminum, 58 thousand tractors, 90 thousand. metal-cutting machines, 63 million centners of sugar, 11 billion pounds of grain, 1,922 million centners of potatoes, 68 million centners of meat and 567 million centners of milk. These colossal quantities of goods would have been produced even if production had remained at 1940 levels. But the growth rate was constantly increasing.

No country in its entire history has had such losses. By May 1945, a huge territory in the western USSR lay in ruins. The enemy deprived 25 million people of their homes. The material damage caused to the country by the war was equal to almost 30% of the national wealth. For comparison: in the UK - 0.9%, in the USA - 0.4%.

When were we going to build that very democracy, the absence of which Europe constantly reproaches us for, and even according to the model strictly set by it? I wish I could live here!

Europe seems to have begun to see the light little by little. For some time now, there has been a debate in Austrian society about who Austria was during the war - the first victim or the first collaborator. And recently, the authorities of the Austrian capital announced plans to create a memorial in honor of the soldiers who deserted from Hitler’s army. Well, what a war they had - these are the heroes they have today. Over one and a half million Austrians - every fourth! - served in Hitler's army. Of the 35 divisions formed in Ostmark, 17 acted against the USSR. And after this, the Austrians still dare to argue: shouldn’t they declare themselves victims of fascism? What refined hypocrisy! Very typical, by the way, for the current European “fighters” against totalitarianism. However, even such crafty discussions do not take place in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Finland, former allies Germany, or in the same Czech Republic, Poland, the Baltic countries, which produced weapons for the Third Reich and supplied it with their workers and soldiers. The heirs of those who chickened out before Hitler, apparently, also lack courage.

On May 1, 2011, the Simon Wiesenthal Center released a list of nine countries in which the acts of World War II Nazi criminals are not being investigated due to statute of limitations or “ideological restrictions.” In addition to Austria, which gave the world Adolf Hitler, it also includes Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Norway, neutral Sweden and even Canada, which fought on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition. Ukraine should also be included in this list, where veterans of the SS Galicia division and Bandera OUN-UPA soldiers are honored.

It is noteworthy that as many Baltic states fought on the side of Germany as on the side of the USSR, in other words, for these republics the Soviet-German war was, among other things, also a civil war.

About 100 thousand Latvians, 36 thousand Lithuanians and 10 thousand Estonians served in the German army, mainly in the SS troops. Therefore, today it is difficult to escape the thought that among the representatives of the current ruling layer of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia there are many political heirs of that part of the elite of their countries that in the early 40s of the last century advocated switching to the side of Germany. In the end, the Germans repressed mainly Jews, Poles and Russians, while the ethnic Balts, loyal to the New Order, eked out a relatively quiet existence. The Nazis were in no hurry to initiate them into their plans, according to which, according to one of the SS “Fuhers” Konrad Mayer, from among the Baltic population in their places of current residence, over 50% of Estonians, up to 50% of Latvians and up to 15% of Lithuanians could be left and Germanized . The rest of the Balts, like 80-85% of the Poles, were to be evicted “to a certain area Western Siberia" The Poles, by the way, lost six out of the country's 35 million population. If it were not for the Red Army, many who are now demanding compensation from Russia for the “Soviet occupation” would have experienced the Nazi slogans: “To each his own” and “Work makes you free,” as was written on the gates of the concentration camps.

In 1944-1945 The Soviet Union fulfilled its liberation mission, eliminating fascist domination in Europe. About seven million Soviet soldiers took part in the liberation of 10 European countries. Almost a million people gave their lives for their freedom. Without the Red Army and its immeasurable sacrifices, the liberation of Europe from the cruel yoke of Nazism would have been impossible. But Europe demands repentance from Russia. Allegedly, following the example of the Germans, although no one has heard German repentance and is unlikely to ever hear it. And what should the post-war generations repent of before the world? Everyone must atone for their sins themselves, otherwise it doesn’t work like a Christian. Europe, after all, was founded and grew precisely on the Christian faith, however, it has forgotten this, its main value. Only she and, above all, she herself is to blame for unleashing the most destructive and bloody war in the history of mankind. And the Soviet Union is the only force in the world that in 1941 stopped the victorious march of Nazi Germany. Europe, terribly democratic and civilized, would fall to its knees before Russia in deep repentance. But it is Russia that she wants to see kneeling. And today it is quite legitimate to pose the question this way: maybe Europe did not want liberation at all?

History has repeatedly taught us that we should not have any illusions about “grateful humanity.” Today, what is most clearly visible is not so much the ideological as the geopolitical focus of the OSCE resolution. International status The Russian Federation still rests on legal succession from the USSR. It is based on two so far unshakable substances - a place in the world club of nuclear powers and the position of one of the five veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council. And this status is a consequence of the Victory of the USSR in World War II. It is precisely to undermine the legitimacy of Russia's status in the world that the resolution is aimed at. Western anti-communism was replaced by openly herd Russophobia.

And with good reason, I allow myself to call the resolution “Reuniting a Divided Europe: Promoting Human Rights and Civil Liberties in the OSCE Region in the 21st Century” the Vilnius Agreement.

It does not unite in any way, but, on the contrary, divides the reunited Europe, just as the continent and the Munich Agreement once divided: on the one hand the West again, and on the other side Russia again. In such an incredible way, two sad 70th anniversaries are now intertwined. Seemingly rushing into the future, Europe is actually descending into the past, into the post-Versailles world order, which gave birth to both Hitler and the Second World War. And who are you going to fight against this time, gentlemen of the Europeans?

Valery Panov

Special for the Centenary