The second, most terrible world war in the history of mankind ended 70 years ago, on September 2, 1945 at 10 o'clock Tokyo time (14 Moscow time), when the Allies aboard the battleship Missouri accepted the Act of Surrender of Japan.

Stalin on the same day, but a little later, made an Appeal to To the Soviet people and he solemnly congratulated him on this. Therefore, today we, remembering this world Victory as a whole well, will still, first of all, remember how, how and why this War ended for us, for the Soviet Union. What must be done, because, after all, it was carried out by us, despite all its hardships, for 4 years on the European front alone against fascist Germany.

And this could happen only because the country’s leadership paid great attention to its security and on April 13, 1941. In the Kremlin, the People's Commissar V. Molotov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Matsuoka signed a Neutrality Pact. What was then extremely important for the USSR, because in the event of possible future military actions for the next five years, at least, it got rid of a war on two fronts. And so important that Stalin - first and foremost last time! - I personally came to the station to see off the foreign minister. The train was delayed for an hour, and according to Molotov, he and Stalin got the Japanese so drunk and sang “The Reeds Made a Noisy” with him that he, barely standing on his feet, was almost literally carried into the carriage. And knowing that the German ambassador Schulenburg was among the mourners, Stalin defiantly hugged Matsuoka, declaring: “You are an Asian, and I am an Asian. If we stand together, all of Asia's problems can be solved." Such a “farewell” was worth the fact that Japan never began to fight with us, and Matsuoka later paid heavily at home, not being inducted into the new Cabinet of Ministers in July.

But all this was back in 1941, and in Victory 1945, defeated Berlin was already behind, and at the Yalta and Potsdam Conference it was firmly stated that with Japan, “the only great power that still stands for the continuation of the war,” it was necessary finish. End together, and on July 26, 1945, in Potsdam, the corresponding ultimatum Declaration of three countries was adopted: the USA, England and China, strictly ordering Japan's unconditional surrender, demilitarization and democratization. The Soviet Union did not sign it at that time, because, firstly, according to the Pact of April 13, it was not officially at war with Japan. And secondly, to please the United States, which still sought, if possible, to remove the USSR from solving the problems of the Far East and Japan, the preparation of this document took place without the participation of the Soviet side. However, on July 28, at a meeting in the imperial palace, Japanese ministers of war forced Prime Minister Suzuki to issue a statement refusing to accept the Potsdam Declaration and for “successfully ending the war.” The situation was little changed by the atomic bombings of the United States: August 6 - Hiroshima and August 9 - Nagasaki, which claimed the lives of 102 thousand people; In total, 503 thousand inhabitants died and suffered. Japan did not capitulate, and only the obligatory and early entry into the war of the USSR could force it to do so.

In this regard, on August 8, the next meeting of the Supreme Military Council on the leadership of the war was canceled, because the Japanese Ambassador to Moscow Sato reported that on that day he was invited to a reception with Molotov, and everyone was waiting for important messages from Moscow. At 5 p.m., such a meeting took place, and the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, on behalf of the Soviet government, presented a Statement for transmission to the Japanese government, which stated that Japan's rejection of the three powers' demands for unconditional surrender forces the USSR to join the Potsdam Declaration, and since August 9 he considers himself in a state of war with Japan. This was done immediately, and in the early morning of August 9, Soviet troops simultaneously launched powerful attacks on the enemy from three directions at once. From Transbaikalia - Transbaikal Front (commander - Marshal R. Malinovsky). Amur region - 1st Far Eastern Front (commander - Marshal K. Meretskov). And the 2nd Far Eastern (commander - Army General M. Purkaev). And the general leadership of all Soviet armed forces numbering 1 million 747 thousand was entrusted to the Marshal of the Soviet Union

A. Vasilevsky.

The reaction in the highest leadership circles of Japan to this followed immediately, and already on the morning of August 9, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Togo visited Prime Minister Suzuki and declared the need to end the war, because the entry of the USSR into the war deprived Japan of the slightest hope for its continuation and success. The Prime Minister agreed with him and at an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council, which began at noon in the bomb shelter of the imperial palace and lasted (with short breaks) until two in the morning, after fierce debate - at the proposal of Suzuki and Togo, supported by Emperor Hirohito - it was decided to adopt the Potsdam Declaration. On the morning of August 10, Togo met with the Soviet Ambassador in Tokyo Ya. Malik and made a statement accepting the Declaration, and similar statements were made through Sweden to the governments of the United States, England and China. Why on August 11, the governments of the USSR, USA, England and China, through the Swiss government, conveyed a demand to the emperor to give orders for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces, stop resistance and surrender their weapons.

However, the struggle between the “parties” of peace and war in the top Japanese leadership continued for several more days, until finally, on the morning of August 14, at a joint meeting of the Supreme Council and the Cabinet of Ministers, agreement was reached on the unconditional surrender of Japan. And the decisive factor for its successful adoption was the powerful offensive of the Soviet troops, which, with their lightning-fast and continuous strikes on land, at sea, in the mountains and desert, within 6 days, dismembered and defeated the 750,000-strong Kwantung Army, advancing 300 kilometers deep into the territory of Manchuria. Destroyed parts of Japanese troops in Northwestern China, landed troops in North Korea, on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. And at 23:00 on the 14th, a corresponding telegram was sent through the Swiss government to the Allied Powers.

However, on the night of the 15th, the most fanatical military, led by Minister of War Anami, launched an armed rebellion, the purpose of which was to prevent surrender. They broke into the imperial palace in order to find tapes recording the emperor’s speech, which outlined the Decree to end the war (they did not find them), they wanted to detain and destroy Prime Minister Suzuki (they burned only his house, the prime minister disappeared), to arrest other ministers who supported peace, they intended raise the entire army. But it was not possible to do what was planned, and by the morning the putsch was suppressed. The soldiers were asked to lay down their arms, and their leaders - to commit hara-kiri, which they, led by Minister Anami, did near the imperial palace. And at noon on the 15th, all of Japan literally froze and froze at the radios: Emperor Hirohito announced surrender and gave the order to the armed forces to end the war. However, he did not mention a word about atomic bombs, and called the offensive of the Soviet troops the main reason for the end of the war. It would seem that’s all... Politicians in the USA and England still consider August 14 and 15 to be the last days of the war, “Days of Victory over Japan.” And for them, this was actually the case, because Japan ceased all military actions against the American-British troops, allowing the allies in the Philippines and Manila to immediately begin preparatory work to organize the signing of the Instrument of Surrender. And for its adoption, by agreement between the USSR, the USA and England, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces was appointed Far East 65-year-old General Douglas MacArthur.

However, on August 17, the Japanese government resigned: Higashikuni became prime minister instead of Suzuki, and Shigemitsu became foreign minister instead of Togo. And as soon as the new prime minister had time to take office, a group of army officers armed with pistols and samurai swords arrived and, under threat of death, demanded that Higashikuni reverse the decision to surrender, threatening a new putsch. The prime minister refused, appointing a special delegation to coordinate the signing procedure, which arrived in Manila on August 19, and the new putsch, it would seem, failed. However, many army and navy officers throughout the country, refusing to obey the order to surrender, committed hara-kiri, kamikaze pilots committed their death flights¸ and in the hands of such, the most rabid fanatics, pathologically hating Soviet Union, there was the command of the Kwantung Army led by Yamada. Why did its scattered parts, despite receiving the order to surrender and the mass surrender that began on August 19, continue to desperately resist until the beginning of September? During 23 days of such battles, Soviet troops surrounded and piecemeal destroyed all the centers of resistance of the Kwantung Army, which lost 677 thousand people killed and wounded, and successfully completed the Sakhalin and Kuril operations.

Taking advantage of the situation of protracted battles against the Soviet troops, on August 26, formations of the US fleet consisting of 383 ships, accompanied by aircraft carriers with 1,300 aircraft on board, began advancing towards Tokyo Bay. On August 30, a massive landing of American occupation troops began near Tokyo and other places. MacArthur arrived with them from Manila to Tokyo, and so for the first time in history foreign troops landed on Japanese territory. All this brought closer the end of the war and the signing of the Act of Surrender, which was scheduled to happen on September 2. And on August 22, 41-year-old Lieutenant General Kuzma Nikolaevich Derevyanko was appointed to participate in the preparation and signing of the Act from the Soviet side. On August 25, he flew to Manila and on the same day introduced himself to General MacArthur, and on August 27, a telegram arrived from Headquarters, which stated that “By the authority of the Supreme High Command of the Soviet Armed Forces,” Lieutenant General K. Derevianko was authorized to sign the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan . Why Derevianko? In the spring of 1945, after the liberation of Vienna, he was appointed Soviet representative in the Federal Council for Austria, where he short term won enormous authority among the allies, showing himself to be tactful, intelligent, knowledgeable, and, at the same time, a person who did not deviate one iota from Soviet positions in negotiations. His activities were monitored by I. Stalin, who, based on the information received, determined his historical purpose for the son of a stonemason from the Ukrainian village of Kosenovka, Kyiv region. (Unfortunately, the general’s earthly journey was short-lived, and he, barely celebrating his 50th birthday, died on December 30, 1954).

It was decided to sign the Act on board the American battleship Missouri, which was stationed in the roadstead of Tokyo Bay. This ship took part in many combat operations at sea and had a long combat history. On March 24, 1945, the battleship, being at the head of the squadron, approached the shores of Japan and with the power of all guns attacked the area north of the capital Tokyo, causing a lot of harm to the Japanese and causing them to passionately hate him. Seeking revenge, on April 11, a Japanese fighter with a kamikaze pilot: the plane crashed, and the battleship received only minor damage. And then the historic day of September 2, 1945 arrived: the ceremony was scheduled for 10 o'clock Tokyo time (14 o'clock Moscow time). By this time, delegations of the victorious countries began to arrive on the Missouri, on which the flags of the Allied powers were flying, and the Soviet delegation included K. Derevianko, representatives of the military branches: Major General of Aviation N. Voronov and Rear Admiral A. Stetsenko, translator. The American sailors gave them a standing ovation, shouted greetings, and threw their sailor caps into the air. And in the middle of the upper armored deck, under a green cloth, there is a small table on which are huge sheets of the Instrument of Surrender in English and Japanese; two chairs opposite each other, and a microphone. And representatives of the delegations of the USSR, USA, England, France, China, Australia, Canada, Holland and New Zealand take their seats nearby.

And then, in deathly silence, members of the Japanese delegation appear on the deck, having gone to the battleship in deep secrecy and on a small boat, fearing assassination attempts by militaristic fanatics. In front is Foreign Minister Shigemitsu, Emperor Hirohito's chief envoy, with his head bowed low and leaning on a stick (one of his legs is on a prosthesis). Behind him is the Chief of the General Staff, General Umezu, in a rumpled jacket and boots, without a samurai sword (they were not allowed to take it), and then 9 more people - 3 each from the ministries: foreign affairs, military and naval. After which the procedure at 10.30 begins with the “Five Minutes of Shame of Japan,” when the Japanese delegation, standing, had to withstand the stern, reproachful glances of all those present (it was not for nothing that Umezu categorically refused to go to the signing, threatening to commit hara-kiri). Then short word MacArthur, with a pointedly casual gesture, invited the Japanese delegation to sign the Act, and, taking off his black top hat, Shigemitsu approaches the table. And, putting the stick aside, standing (even though there was a chair), he begins to sign, and his pale face becomes covered with sweat. Then, after some hesitation, Umezu also signs the document.

On behalf of all the allied powers, the Act was first signed by General MacArthur, and then by representatives of other countries. From the USA - Commander-in-Chief of the American Fleet at Pacific Ocean Admiral C. Nimitz; from Great Britain - Admiral B. Fraser; from France - General J. Leclerc; from China, General Su Yongchang (when he did this, the Japanese did not even raise their eyes or move, but suppressed anger still made its way through the motionless masks of their pale yellow faces). And when General MacArthur announced that a representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics would now sign the Act, the eyes of all those present, photographs and film cameras of almost five hundred correspondents from all countries of the world turned to our delegation. Trying to be calm, K. Derevianko walked up to the table, slowly sat down, took an automatic pen from his pocket and put his signature on the document. Then the signatures were signed by representatives of Australia, Holland, New Zealand and Canada, the whole procedure lasted about 45 minutes and ended with a short speech by MacArthur, who declared that “peace has now been established throughout the world.” After which the general invited the allied delegations to Admiral Nimitz’s salon, the Japanese representatives remained alone on deck and Shigemitsu was handed a black folder with a copy of the signed Act for transmission to the emperor. The Japanese went down the ladder, boarded their boat and departed.

And in Moscow on the same day, September 2, 1945, I. Stalin delivered an Address to the Soviet people about the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II. And he, along with members of the Politburo and government, on September 30 received General K. Derevyanko, who arrived in the Kremlin with a report. The report was approved, the general's work in Japan received a positive assessment, and he was granted leave for the first time in many years. The Second World War was over, the victorious country was already living its new peaceful life.

Gennady TURETSKY

The Second World War lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of countries in the world - including all the great powers - have formed two opposing military alliances.
The Second World War became the reason for the desire of world powers to reconsider their spheres of influence and redistribute markets for raw materials and sales of products (1939-1945). Germany and Italy sought revenge, the USSR wanted to establish itself in Eastern Europe, in the Black Sea Straits, in Western and Southern Asia, to strengthen its influence in the Far East, England, France and the USA tried to maintain their positions in the world.

Another reason for the Second World War was the attempt of bourgeois-democratic states to oppose totalitarian regimes - fascists and communists - to each other.
The Second World War was chronologically divided into three large stages:

1. From September 1, 1939 to June 1942 - the period in which Germany had the advantage.
2. From June 1942 to January 1944. During this period, the anti-Hitler coalition took advantage.
3. From January 1944 to September 2, 1945 - the period when the troops of the aggressor countries were defeated and the ruling regimes in these countries fell.

World War II began on September 1, 1939 with the German attack on Poland. September 8-14 in battles near the Bruza River Polish troops were defeated. On September 28, Warsaw fell. In September, Soviet troops also invaded Poland. Poland became the first casualty of the world war. The Germans destroyed the Jewish and Polish intelligentsia and introduced labor conscription.

"Strange War"
In response to German aggression, England and France declared war on her on September 3. But no active military action followed. Therefore, the beginning of the war on the Western Front is called the “Phantom War”.
On September 17, 1939, Soviet troops captured Western Ukraine and Western Belarus - lands lost under the Treaty of Riga in 1921 as a result of the unsuccessful Polish-Soviet war. The Soviet-German Treaty “On Friendship and Borders” concluded on September 28, 1939 confirmed the fact of the capture and division of Poland. The agreement defined the Soviet-German borders, the border was set aside slightly to the west. Lithuania was included in the sphere of interests of the USSR.
In November 1939, Stalin offered Finland to lease the port of Petsamo and the Hanko Peninsula for construction military base, as well as push back the border on the Karelian Isthmus in exchange for a larger territory in Soviet Karelia. Finland rejected this proposal. On November 30, 1939, the Soviet Union declared war on Finland. This war went down in history under the name “ Winter War" Stalin organized a puppet Finnish “workers’ government” in advance. But Soviet troops met fierce resistance from the Finns on the Mannerheim Line and only overcame it in March 1940. Finland was forced to accept the conditions of the USSR. On March 12, 1940, a peace treaty was signed in Moscow. The Karelo-Finnish SSR was created.
During September-October In 1939, the Soviet Union sent troops into the Baltic countries, forcing Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to conclude treaties. On June 21, 1940, it was established in all three republics Soviet power. Two weeks later, these republics became part of the USSR. In June 1940, the USSR took Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina from Romania.
The Moldavian SSR was created in Bessarabia, which also became part of the USSR. And Northern Bukovina became part of the Ukrainian SSR. These aggressive actions of the USSR were condemned by England and France. On December 14, 1939, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations.

Military operations in the West, Africa and the Balkans
For successful operations Germany needed bases in the North Atlantic. Therefore, she attacked Denmark and Norway, although they declared themselves neutral. On April 9, 1940, Denmark surrendered, and on June 10, Norway. In Norway, the fascist V. Quisling seized power. The King of Norway turned to England for help. In May 1940, the main forces of the German army (Wehrmacht) concentrated on the Western Front. On May 10, the Germans suddenly occupied Holland and Belgium and pinned the Anglo-Franco-Belgian troops to the sea in the Dunkirk area. The Germans occupied Calais. But by order of Hitler, the offensive was suspended, and the enemy was given the opportunity to leave the encirclement. This event was called the "Miracle of Dunkirk". With this gesture, Hitler wanted to appease England, conclude an agreement with it and temporarily withdraw it from the war.

On May 26, Germany launched an attack on France, achieved victory at the Ema River and, having broken through the Maginot Line, the Germans entered Paris on June 14. On June 22, 1940, in the Compiegne Forest, on the very spot where Germany surrendered 22 years ago, Marshal Foch, in the same headquarters carriage, signed the act of surrender of France. France was divided into 2 parts: the northern part, which came under German occupation, and southern part with its center in the city of Vichy.
This part of France was dependent on Germany; the puppet “Vichy government” was organized here, headed by Marshal Pétain. The Vichy government had a small army. The fleet was confiscated. The French constitution was also abolished, and Pétain was given unlimited powers. The collaborationist Vichy regime lasted until August 1944.
Anti-fascist forces in France grouped around the Free France organization, created by Charles de Gaulle in England.
In the summer of 1940, an ardent opponent of Nazi Germany, Winston Churchill, was elected Prime Minister of England. Since the German navy was inferior to the English fleet, Hitler abandoned the idea of ​​landing troops in England, and was content only with air bombing. England defended vigorously and won" air war" This was the first victory in the war with Germany.
On June 10, 1940, Italy also joined the war against England and France. The Italian army from Ethiopia captured Kenya, strongholds in Sudan, and part of British Somalia. And in October, Italy attacked Libya and Egypt in order to seize the Suez Canal. But, having seized the initiative, British troops forced the Italian army in Ethiopia to surrender. In December 1940, the Italians were defeated in Egypt, and in 1941 in Libya. The help sent by Hitler was not effective. In general, during the winter of 1940-1941, British troops, with the help of the local population, drove the Italians out of British and Italian Somalia, from Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
On September 22, 1940, Germany, Italy and Japan concluded a pact in Berlin (the “Pact of Steel”). A little later, Germany's allies - Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia - joined him. In essence, it was an agreement on the redistribution of the world. Germany invited the USSR to join this pact and participate in the occupation of British India and other southern lands. But Stalin was interested in the Balkans and the Black Sea straits. And this contradicted Hitler’s plans.
In October 1940, Italy attacked Greece. German troops helped Italy. In April 1941, Yugoslavia and Greece capitulated.
Thus, the most swipe was inflicted on British positions in the Balkans. The British corps was returned to Egypt. In May 1941, the Germans took the island of Crete, and the British lost control of Aegean Sea. Yugoslavia ceased to exist as a state. An independent Croatia emerged. The remaining Yugoslav lands were divided between Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and Hungary. Under pressure from Hitler, Romania gave Transylvania to Hungary.

German attack on the USSR
Back in June 1940, Hitler ordered the Wehrmacht leadership to prepare for an attack on the USSR. A plan for a “lightning war” codenamed “Barbarossa” was prepared and approved on December 18, 1940. A native of Baku, intelligence officer Richard Sorge reported in May 1941 about an impending German attack on the USSR, but Stalin did not believe it. On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union without declaring war. The Germans intended to reach the Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line before the onset of winter. During the first week of the war, the Germans took Smolensk and approached Kyiv and Leningrad. In September, Kyiv was captured and Leningrad was under siege.
In November 1941, the Germans launched an attack on Moscow. On December 5-6, 1941, they were defeated in the Battle of Moscow. In this battle and in the winter operations of 1942, the myth of “invincibility” collapsed German army, and the plan for a “lightning war” was thwarted. The victory of the Soviet troops inspired the resistance movement in the countries occupied by the Germans and strengthened the anti-Hitler coalition.
Creation anti-Hitler coalition

Japan considered the territory of Eurasia east of the 70th meridian to be its sphere of influence. After the surrender of France, Japan appropriated its colonies - Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and stationed its troops there. Sensing a danger to its possessions in the Philippines, the United States demanded that Japan withdraw its troops and established a ban on trade with it during the Battle of Moscow.
On December 7, 1941, a Japanese squadron launched an unexpected attack on the US naval base in the Hawaiian Islands - Pearl Harbor. On the same day, Japanese troops invaded Thailand and the British colonies of Malaysia and Burma. In response, the United States and Great Britain declared war on Japan.
At the same time, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. In the spring of 1942, the Japanese took the British fortress of Singapore, which was considered impregnable, and approached India. Then they conquered Indonesia and the Philippines and landed in New Guinea.
Back in March 1941, the US Congress passed a law on Lend-Lease - a “system of assistance” with weapons, strategic raw materials and food. After Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union, Great Britain and the USA became in solidarity with the USSR. W. Churchill said that he was ready to enter into an alliance against Hitler, even with the devil himself.
On July 12, 1941, a cooperation agreement was signed between the USSR and Great Britain. On October 10, a trilateral agreement was signed between the USA, USSR and Great Britain on military and food aid to the USSR. In November 1941, the United States extended the Lend-Lease Act to the Soviet Union. An anti-Hitler coalition emerged, consisting of the USA, Great Britain and the USSR.
To prevent Germany from rapprochement with Iran, on August 25, 1941, the Soviet army entered Iran from the north, and the British army from the south. In the history of World War II, this was the first joint operation between the USSR and England.
On August 14, 1941, the USA and England signed a document called the “Atlantic Charter”, in which they declared their refusal to seize foreign territories, recognized the right of all peoples to self-government, and renounced the use of force in international affairs, expressed interest in building a fair and safe post-war world. The USSR declared recognition of the exiled governments of Czechoslovakia and Poland and on September 24 also joined the Atlantic Charter. On January 1, 1942, 26 states signed the “Declaration of the United Nations.” The strengthening of the anti-Hitler coalition contributed to the onset of a radical turning point during the Second World War.

Beginning of a radical fracture
The second period of the war is characterized as a period of radical change. The first step here was the Battle of Midway in June 1942, in which the US fleet sank a Japanese squadron. Having suffered heavy losses, Japan lost the ability to fight in the Pacific Ocean.
In October 1942, British troops under the command of General B. Montgomery encircled and defeated Italian-German troops at El Apamein. In November, US forces under General Dwight Eisenhower in Morocco pinned Italian-German forces against Tunisia and forced their surrender. But the Allies did not keep their promises and did not open a second front in Europe in 1942. This allowed the Germans to group large forces on the eastern front, break through the defenses of Soviet troops on the Kerch Peninsula in May, capturing Sevastopol and Kharkov in July, and move towards Stalingrad and the Caucasus. But the German offensive was repulsed at Stalingrad, and in a counterattack on November 23 near the city of Kalach, Soviet troops surrounded 22 enemy divisions. The Battle of Stalingrad, which lasted until February 2, 1943, ended in victory for the USSR, which seized the strategic initiative. A radical turning point occurred in the Soviet-German war. The counter-offensive of Soviet troops began in the Caucasus.
One of the important conditions for a radical change in the war was the ability of the USSR, USA and England to mobilize their resources. Thus, on June 30, 1941, the State Defense Committee was created in the USSR under the chairmanship of I. Stalin and the main Logistics Directorate. A card system was introduced.
In 1942, a law was passed in England giving the government emergency powers in the field of economic management. The War Production Administration was created in the United States.

Resistance movement
Another factor that contributed to the radical change was the Resistance movement of peoples who fell under the German, Italian and Japanese yoke. The Nazis created death camps - Buchenwald, Auschwitz, Majdanek, Treblinka, Dachau, Mauthausen, etc. In France - Oradour, in Czechoslovakia - Lidice, in Belarus - Khatyn and many more such villages around the world, the population of which was completely destroyed. A systematic policy of extermination of Jews and Slavs was carried out. On January 20, 1942, a plan was approved to exterminate all Jews in Europe.
The Japanese acted under the slogan “Asia for Asians,” but encountered desperate resistance in Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, and the Philippines. The strengthening of resistance was facilitated by the unification of anti-fascist forces. Under pressure from the allies, the Comintern was dissolved in 1943, so communists in individual countries more actively participated in joint anti-fascist actions.
In 1943, an anti-fascist uprising broke out in the Warsaw Jewish ghetto. In the territories of the USSR conquered by the Germans, the partisan movement was especially widespread.

Completion of a radical fracture
The radical turning point on the Soviet-German front ended with the grandiose Battle of Kursk (July-August 1943), in which the Nazis were defeated. IN naval battles In the Atlantic, the Germans lost many submarines. Allied ships began to cross the Atlantic Ocean as part of special patrol convoys.
A radical change in the course of the war became the cause of the crisis in the countries of the fascist bloc. In July 1943, Allied forces captured the island of Sicily, and this caused a deep crisis for the fascist regime of Mussolini. He was overthrown and arrested. The new government was headed by Marshal Badoglio. The Fascist Party was outlawed, and political prisoners received an amnesty.
Secret negotiations began. On September 3, Allied troops landed in the Apennines. An armistice was signed with Italy.
At this time, Germany occupied northern Italy. Badoglio declared war on Germany. A front line emerged north of Naples, and the regime of Mussolini, who had escaped from captivity, was restored in the territory occupied by the Germans. He relied on German troops.
After the radical change was completed, the heads of the allied states - F. Roosevelt, I. Stalin and W. Churchill met in Tehran from November 28 to December 1, 1943. The central issue in the work of the conference was the opening of a second front. Churchill insisted on opening a second front in the Balkans to prevent the penetration of communism into Europe, and Stalin believed that a second front should be opened closer to the German borders - in Northern France. Thus, differences in views on the second front arose. Roosevelt sided with Stalin. It was decided to open a second front in May 1944 in France. Thus, for the first time, the foundations of the general military concept of the anti-Hitler coalition were developed. Stalin agreed to participate in the war with Japan on the condition that Kaliningrad (Königsberg) would be transferred to the USSR and the new western borders of the USSR would be recognized. A declaration on Iran was also adopted in Tehran. The heads of the three states expressed their intention to respect the integrity of the territory of this country.
In December 1943, Roosevelt and Churchill signed the Egyptian Declaration with Chinese President Chiang Kai-shek. An agreement was reached that the war would continue until the complete defeat of Japan. All territories taken from it by Japan will be returned to China, Korea will become free and independent.

Deportation of Turks and Caucasian peoples
The German offensive in the Caucasus, which began in the summer of 1942, in accordance with the Edelweiss plan, failed.
In the territories inhabited by Turkic peoples (Northern and Southern Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Bashkiria, Tatarstan, Crimea, North Caucasus, Western China and Afghanistan) Germany planned to create the state of “Great Turkestan”.
In 1944-1945, the Soviet leadership declared some Turkic and Caucasian peoples in collaboration with the German occupiers and deported them. As a result of this deportation, accompanied by genocide, in February 1944, 650 thousand Chechens, Ingush and Karachais, in May - about 2 million Crimean Turks, in November - about a million Meskhetian Turks from the regions of Georgia bordering Turkey were resettled to the eastern regions of the USSR. In parallel with the deportation, the forms of government of these peoples were also liquidated (in 1944, the Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, in 1945, the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic). In October 1944, the independent Republic of Tuva, located in Siberia, was incorporated into the RSFSR.

Military operations of 1944-1945
At the beginning of 1944, the Soviet army launched a counteroffensive near Leningrad and in right-bank Ukraine. On September 2, 1944, an armistice was signed between the USSR and Finland. The lands captured in 1940, the Pechenga region, were transferred to the USSR. Finland's access to the Barents Sea has been closed. In October, with the permission of the Norwegian authorities, Soviet troops entered Norwegian territory.
On June 6, 1944, Allied troops under the command of American General D. Eisenhower landed in Northern France and opened a second front. At the same time, Soviet troops launched “Operation Bagration,” as a result of which the territory of the USSR was completely cleared of the enemy.
The Soviet army entered East Prussia and Poland. In August 1944, an anti-fascist uprising began in Paris. By the end of this year, the Allies had completely liberated France and Belgium.
At the beginning of 1944, the United States occupied the Marshall, Mariana Islands and the Philippines and blocked Japan's sea communications. In turn, the Japanese captured Central China. But due to difficulties in supplying the Japanese, the “march on Delhi” failed.
In July 1944, Soviet troops entered Romania. Antonescu's fascist regime was overthrown, and Romanian King Mihai declared war on Germany. On September 2, Bulgaria and on September 12, Romania concluded a truce with the allies. In mid-September, Soviet troops entered Yugoslavia, most of which by this time had been liberated by I. B. Tito’s partisan army. At this time, Churchill resigned himself to the entry of all Balkan countries into the sphere of influence of the USSR. And the troops subordinate to the Polish émigré government in London fought both against the Germans and the Russians. In August 1944, an unprepared uprising began in Warsaw, suppressed by the Nazis. The Allies were divided on the legality of each of the two Polish governments.

Crimean Conference
February 4-11, 1945 Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill met in Crimea (Yalta). Here it was decided to unconditionally surrender Germany and divide its territory into 4 occupation zones (USSR, USA, England, France), collect reparations from Germany, recognize the new western borders of the USSR, and include new members in the London Polish government. The USSR confirmed its agreement to enter the war against Japan 2-3 months after the end of the war with Germany. In return, Stalin expected to receive Southern Sakhalin, Kuril Islands, railway in Manchuria and Port Arthur.
At the conference, the declaration “On a Liberated Europe” was adopted. It guaranteed the right to create democratic structures of their own choice.
Here the order of work of the future United Nations Organization was determined. The Crimea Conference was the last meeting of the Big Three with Roosevelt participating. He died in 1945. He was replaced by G. Truman.

Surrender of Germany
Defeat on the fronts caused a strong crisis in the bloc of fascist regimes. Realizing the disastrous consequences for Germany of continuing the war and the need to make peace, a group of officers organized an attempt on Hitler’s life, but was unsuccessful.
In 1944, the German military industry reached a high level, but there was no longer any strength to resist. Despite this, Hitler announced general mobilization and began to use a new type of weapon - V-missiles. In December 1944, the Germans launched a final counterattack in the Ardennes. The Allies' position worsened. At their request, the USSR launched Operation Vistula-Oder earlier than scheduled in January 1945 and approached Berlin to a distance of 60 kilometers. In February the Allies launched a general offensive. On April 16, under the leadership of Marshal G. Zhukov, the Berlin operation began. On April 30, the Victory Banner was hung over the Reichstag. In Milan, partisans executed Mussolini. Upon learning of this, Hitler shot himself. On the night of May 8-9, on behalf of the German government, Field Marshal W. Keitel signed an act of unconditional surrender. On May 9, Prague was liberated and the war in Europe ended.

Potsdam Conference
From July 17 to August 2, 1945, a new Big Three conference took place in Potsdam. Now the United States was represented by Truman, and England, instead of Churchill, by the newly elected Prime Minister, Labor leader C. Attlee.
The main purpose of the conference was to determine the principles of Allied policy towards Germany. The territory of Germany was divided into 4 occupation zones (USSR, USA, France, England). An agreement was reached on the dissolution of fascist organizations, the restoration of previously banned parties and civil liberties, and the destruction of the military industry and cartels. The main fascist war criminals were brought to justice International Tribunal. The conference decided that Germany should remain a single state. In the meantime, it will be controlled by the occupation authorities. The capital of the country, Berlin, was also divided into 4 zones. Elections were coming up, after which peace would be signed with the new democratic government.
The conference also determined the state borders of Germany, which lost a quarter of its territory. Germany lost everything it gained after 1938. The lands of East Prussia were divided between the USSR and Poland. The borders of Poland were determined along the line of the Oder-Neisse rivers. Soviet citizens who fled to the west or remained there had to be returned to their homeland.
The amount of reparations from Germany was determined at 20 billion dollars. 50% of this amount was due to the Soviet Union.

End of World War II
In April 1945, US troops entered the island of Okinawa during an anti-Japanese operation. Before the summer, the Philippines, Indonesia and part of Indo-China were liberated. On July 26, 1945, the USA, USSR and China demanded Japan's surrender, but were refused. To demonstrate its strength, the United States dropped atomic bomb to Hiroshima. On August 8, the USSR declared war on Japan. On August 9, the United States dropped a second bomb on the city of Nagasaki.
On August 14, at the request of Emperor Hirohito, the Japanese government announced its surrender. The official act of surrender was signed on September 2, 1945, aboard the battleship Missouri.
Thus, the Second World War, in which 61 countries participated and in which 67 million people died, came to an end.
If the First World War was mainly of a positional nature, then the Second World War was of an offensive nature.

On September 1, 1939, the armed forces of Germany and Slovakia invaded Poland. At the same time, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein fired on the fortifications of the Polish Westerplatte peninsula. Since Poland was in an alliance with England, France and Germany, this was regarded as a declaration of war by Hitler.

On September 1, 1939, universal military service was announced in the USSR. The conscription age was lowered from 21 to 19, and in some cases to 18. This quickly increased the size of the army to 5 million people. The USSR began to prepare for war.

Hitler justified the need to attack Poland with the Gleiwitz incident, carefully avoiding "" and fearing the outbreak of military action against England and France. He promised the Polish people guarantees of immunity and expressed his intention only to actively defend against “Polish aggression.”

Gleiwitzky was a provocation on the part of the Third Reich to create a pretext for an armed conflict: SS officers dressed in Polish military uniforms carried out a series of attacks on the border of Poland and Germany. Pre-killed concentration camp prisoners who were taken directly to the scene of events were used as those killed during the attack.

Until the last moment, Hitler hoped that Poland would not stand up for her and Poland would be transferred to Germany in the same way as the Sudetenland was transferred to Czechoslovakia in 1938.

England and France declare war on Germany

Despite the Fuhrer's hopes, on September 3, 1945, England, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany. Within a short time they were joined by Canada, Newfoundland, the Union of South Africa and Nepal. The USA and Japan declared neutrality.

The British ambassador, who arrived at the Reich Chancellery on September 3, 1939 and delivered an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of troops from Poland, shocked Hitler. But the war had already begun, the Fuhrer did not want to leave behind diplomatically what had been won by arms, and the offensive of German troops on Polish soil continued.

Despite the declaration of war, on the Western Front, the Anglo-French troops did not undertake any active actions in the period from September 3 to 10, with the exception of military operations at sea. This inaction allowed Germany to completely destroy Poland's armed forces in just 7 days, leaving only minor pockets of resistance. But they too will be completely eliminated by October 6, 1939. It was on this day that Germany announced the end of the existence of the Polish state and government.

USSR participation at the beginning of World War II

According to the secret additional protocol to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Treaty, spheres of influence in Eastern Europe, including Poland, were clearly demarcated between the USSR and Germany. Therefore, on September 16, 1939, the Soviet Union introduced its troops into Polish territory and occupied, which subsequently moved into the zone of influence of the USSR and became part of the Ukrainian SSR, Byelorussian SSR and Lithuania.

Despite the fact that the USSR and Poland did not declare war on each other, many historians consider the fact that Soviet troops entered Polish territory in 1939 as the date of the USSR’s entry into World War II.

On October 6, Hitler proposed convening a peace conference between the world's major powers to resolve the Polish issue. England and France set a condition: either Germany withdraws troops from Poland and the Czech Republic and grants them independence, or there will be no conference. The leadership of the Third Reich rejected this ultimatum and the conference did not take place.

CHRONOLOGY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR (1939-1945)

Read also: Great Patriotic War - chronological table, Patriotic War of 1812 - chronology, Northern War - chronology, First World War - chronology, Russian-Japanese War - chronology, October Revolution of 1917 - chronology, Civil War in Russia 1918-20 - chronology.

1939

August 23. Signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany).

September 17. The Polish government moves to Romania. Soviet troops invade Poland.

September 28. The signing of the “Treaty of Friendship and Border” between the USSR and Germany formally completes their division of Poland. Conclusion of a “mutual assistance pact” between the USSR and Estonia.

October 5. Conclusion of a “mutual assistance pact” between the USSR and Latvia. The Soviet proposal to Finland to conclude a “mutual assistance pact”, the beginning of negotiations between Finland and the USSR.

November 13. Termination of Soviet-Finnish negotiations - Finland abandons the “mutual assistance pact” with the USSR.

November 26. The “Maynila Incident” is the reason for the start of the Soviet-Finnish War on November 30.

December 1st. Creation of the “People's Government of Finland” headed by O. Kuusinen. On December 2, it signed an agreement on mutual assistance and friendship with the USSR.

December 7th. The beginning of the Battle of Suomussalmi. It lasted until January 8, 1940 and ended in a heavy defeat for the Soviet troops.

Second World War. Warmongering

1940

April – May. Execution by the NKVD of more than 20 thousand Polish officers and intellectuals in the Katyn Forest, Ostashkovsky, Starobelsky and other camps.

April 9. German invasion of Norway.

September – December. The beginning of Germany's secret preparations for war with the USSR. Development of the "Barbarossa Plan".

1941

January 15. Negus Haile Selasie entered Abyssinian territory, which he abandoned in 1936.

March 1st. Bulgaria joins the Tripartite Pact. German troops enter Bulgaria.

March 25. The Yugoslav government of Prince Paul adheres to the Tripartite Pact.

March 27. Government coup in Yugoslavia. King Peter II entrusts the formation of a new government to General Simovic. Mobilization of the Yugoslav army.

April 4. Coup d'état by Rashid Ali al-Gailani in Iraq in favor of Germany.

April 23. Signing of the Soviet-Japanese neutrality treaty for a period of five years.

April 14. Battles for Tobruk. German defensive battles on the Egyptian border (April 14 – November 17).

April 18. Surrender of the Yugoslav army. Division of Yugoslavia. Creation of independent Croatia.

April 26. Roosevelt announced his intention to establish American air bases in Greenland.

April 27. Capture of Athens and greek islands in the Aegean Sea. A new Dunkirk for England.

May 12. Admiral Darlan in Berchtesgaden. The Pétain government provides the Germans with bases in Syria.

May. Roosevelt declared a "state of extreme national danger." Stalin becomes Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars.

June 12. British aircraft begin systematic bombing of the industrial centers of Germany.

June 25. Finland enters the war on the side of Germany in response to the Soviet bombing of 19 airfields on its territory.

June 30. Capture of Riga by the Germans (see Baltic operation). Capture of Lvov by the Germans (see Lvov-Chernivtsi operation.) Creation of the highest authority in the USSR for the war period - the State Defense Committee (GKO): chairman Stalin, members - Molotov (deputy chairman), Beria, Malenkov, Voroshilov.

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

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

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

October 29. The Germans are dropping big bomb on the Kremlin: 41 people die and more than 100 are injured.

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

November 6. In his annual speech on the occasion of the October anniversary at the Mayakovskaya metro station, Stalin announced the failure of the German “Blitzkrieg” (lightning war) in Russia.

November 15 – December 4. An attempt by the Germans to make a decisive breakthrough towards Moscow.

November 18. British offensive in Africa. Battle of Marmarica (the area between Cyrenaica and the Nile Delta). German retreat in Cyrenaica

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

End of December. Surrender of Hong Kong.

1942

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

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

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

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

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

January 26 . Landing of the first American Expeditionary Force in Northern Ireland.

World War II. Sun of Japan

February 19. Riom trial against “the culprits of the defeat of France” - Daladier, Leon Blum, General Gamelin and others (February 19 - April 2).

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

February 28. German-Italian troops recapture Marmarika (February 28 – June 29).

March 11. Another attempt to solve the Indian question: Cripps mission to India.

March 12. General Toyo invites America, England, China and Australia to abandon a war that is hopeless for them.

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

April. Hitler gains full power. From now on, Hitler's will becomes law for Germany. British aircraft drop an average of 250 tons of explosives per night over Germany.

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

August 23. The exit of the 6th German Army to the outskirts of Stalingrad. Beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad. The most brutal bombing of the city.

August. Offensive battles of the Red Army near Rzhev.

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

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

October 23. Battle of El Alamein. Defeat of Rommel's expeditionary force (October 20 – November 3).

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

November 8. Allied landings at North Africa, under the command of General Eisenhower.

November 11. The German army breaks through to the Volga in Stalingrad, the Soviet troops defending the city are divided into two narrow pockets. The Germans begin to occupy all of France. Demobilization of the French army retained after the 1940 armistice.

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

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

November 27. Self-sinking of large French units navy in Toulon.

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

December 23. Termination of Operation Winter Storm - Manstein's attempt to rescue the Germans in Stalingrad with a blow from the south. The Red Army captured the airfield in Tatsinskaya, the main external source of supply for the encircled Stalingrad German group.

End of December. Rommel lingers in Tunisia. Stopping the Allied offensive in Africa.

1943

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

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

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

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

January 14-26. Conference in Casablanca (demanding “unconditional surrender of the Axis powers”).

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

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

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

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

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

March 20. Battle for Tunisia. Defeat of German troops in Africa (March 20 – May 12).

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

April 16. The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs offers his mediation between the warring parties with a view to concluding peace.

June 3. Creation of the French Committee National Liberation(formerly: French National Committee).

June. The German underwater danger has been reduced to a minimum.

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

July 10. Anglo-American landing in Sicily (July 10 - August 17). Their start of military operations in Italy distracts a lot of enemy forces from the Soviet front and is actually tantamount to the opening of a Second Front in Europe.

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

July 17. Creation of AMGOT (Allied Military Government for Occupied Territories) in Sicily.

September 23. Mussolini's announcement of the continuation of fascist rule in northern Italy (Italian Social Republic or Republic of Salò).

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

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

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

End of October. Dnepropetrovsk and Melitopol were taken by the Red Army. Crimea is cut off.

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

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

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

November-December. Manstein's unsuccessful counterattack on Kyiv.

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

December 24. General Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander of the armies of the second front in the West.

1944

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

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

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

World War II. Russian steam roller

May 17. After 4 months of fierce fighting, Allied forces break through the Gustav Line in Italy. Fall of Cassino.

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

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

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

On May 8, 1945, the Act of Unconditional Surrender of the Germans was signed. armed forces, which meant the cessation of hostilities on all fronts and the end of World War II. On the occasion of this event, we have collected the most interesting facts about this war.

1. The territory of present-day Ukraine was at the epicenter of the war and suffered more than Russia, Germany, France or Poland. 9 million people - this is how many Ukrainians died during the Second World War, half of whom were civilians. For comparison, the total losses in Germany are 6 million lives.

2. During World War II, Japan dropped bombs filled with fleas infected with bubonic plague on China. This entomological weapon caused an epidemic that killed between 440 thousand and 500 thousand Chinese.

3. During World War II, Princess Elizabeth (the current Queen of Great Britain) served as an ambulance driver. Her service lasted five months.

4. Japanese soldier Hiro Onoda surrendered 27 years after the end of World War II. The junior lieutenant of military intelligence of the Japanese armed forces hid on the island of Lubang until 1974, not believing in the end of the world conflict and continuing to collect information about the enemy. He regarded information about the end of the war as massive disinformation on the part of the enemy and surrendered only after former Imperial Japanese Army Major Yoshimi Taniguchi personally arrived in the Philippines and gave the order to cease combat operations.

5. The number of Chinese killed by the Japanese during World War II exceeds the number of Jews killed due to the Holocaust.

6. During World War II, the Paris Cathedral Mosque helped Jews escape German persecution; Fake Muslim birth certificates were issued here.

7. 80% of all Soviet men, born in 1923, died during World War II.

8. Winston Churchill lost the election in 1945 after winning World War II.

9. In 1942, during the bombing of Liverpool, carried out on the orders of the Fuhrer, the area where his nephew, William Patrick Hitler, was born and lived for some time was destroyed. In 1939, William Patrick left Great Britain for the United States. In 1944, he enlisted in the US Navy, burning with hatred for his uncle. He later changed his last name to Stewart-Houston.

10. Tsutomu Yamaguchi is a Japanese man who survived both atomic bombings of Japan - Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The man died in 2010 from stomach cancer at the age of 93.

11. During World War II, Japan accepted Jewish refugees and rejected German protests.

12. At least 1.1 million Jewish children were killed during the Holocaust.

13. A third of the Jews alive at that time were killed during the Holocaust.

14. Czechoslovak President Emil Haha suffered a heart attack during negotiations with Hitler regarding the surrender of Czechoslovakia. Despite his serious condition the politician was forced to sign the act.

15. In October 1941, Romanian troops under the control of Nazi Germany killed more than 50,000 Jews in Odessa. Today the event is known under the term “murder of the Jews of Odessa.”

16. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Canada declared war on Japan even earlier than the United States.

17. During World War II, Oscar figurines were made of plaster due to a metal shortage.

18. During the German occupation of Paris, Adolf Hitler was unable to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower because the elevator drive was deliberately damaged by the French. The Fuhrer refused to go up on foot.

19. During World War II, doctor Eugeniusz Lazowski and his colleague saved 8,000 Jews from the Holocaust. They simulated a typhus epidemic and thus stopped the entry of German troops into the city.

20. Hitler planned to capture Moscow, kill all the inhabitants and create an artificial reservoir on the site of the city.

21. Soviet army soldiers killed more Germans during the Battle of Stalingrad than Americans did in the entire Second World War.

22. Carrots do not improve vision. This is a false belief that was spread by the British in order to hide from the Germans information about new technologies that allowed pilots to see German bombers at night during the Second World War.

23. Spain maintained neutrality in the First and Second World Wars, but was subjected to civil war(1936-1939), in which 500,000 people died.

24. During the German invasion of Poland, Wizna was defended by only 720 Poles, holding back the onslaught of the German 19th Army Corps, which consisted of more than 42 thousand soldiers, 350 tanks and 650 guns. They managed to stop the advance for three days.

25. Brazil was the only one independent country Latin America, which took direct part in the hostilities of World War II.

26. Mexico was the only country to oppose the German annexation of Austria in 1938 just before the outbreak of World War II.

27. During World War II 2 million German women between the ages of 13 and 70 were raped by Red Army soldiers.

28. During World War II, the United States and New Zealand secretly tested 3,700 tsunami bombs that were intended to destroy coastal cities.

29. In World War II, 20% of Poland's population died - the highest figure of any country.

30. In fact, there were several wars on the territory of present-day Ukraine - German-Polish (1939-45), German-Soviet (1941-45), German-Ukrainian (1941-44), Polish-Ukrainian (1942-1947) and Soviet-Ukrainian (1939-54).