Preparation of the Soviet Union for the Great Patriotic War and its beginning. Preparation of the USSR for war: a feat worthy of the titans
The Soviet Union was also preparing for war. For 1939 and 1940 The Red Army increased by more than 3 times and reached a strength of 5 million. Most of the tanks in the world were in the USSR. Only on the Soviet-German border were placed 10 thousand tanks - 2.5 times more than Germany. In May-June 1941, military echelons from all over the country moved to the border. Stalin's advisers assured that Hitler did not have time to attack our country, but they miscalculated.
The beginning of World War II
On the early morning of Sunday, June 22, 1941, the Germans crossed the border. In Moscow, the German ambassador Schulenburg belatedly announced the start of the war. This was a terrible event for the entire Soviet people.
The first period of World War II
Main events:
The defenders of the Brest Fortress, who entered the battle on the border on June 22, 1941, heroically fought in complete encirclement for more than a month.
In the early days of the war, a large number of Soviet aircraft, tanks, artillery pieces were destroyed. The Red Army, which was preparing to advance, could not defend. Lost control of many compounds, which became easy prey of the enemy.
The battles for Smolensk, Kiev, Leningrad in July-September 1941 slowed down the advance of the German troops and frustrated the "blitzkrieg".
In September, the German tank units broke through to Lake Ladoga and cut Leningrad from the rest of the country. The 900-day blockade of the city began.
By decision of the General Headquarters, G.K. was appointed Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Leningrad Front. Zhukov. Thanks to his efforts, the threat of the capture of the city by the Germans was eliminated.
In August, southerly, the German-Romanian forces, 5 times superior to the enemy, made an unsuccessful attempt to capture Odessa. Only the threat of the capture of Crimea forced the Headquarters to withdraw troops from Odessa.
In October, German troops broke into the Crimea and tried to break through to Sevastopol, the main base of the Black Sea Fleet. All attempts to take the city ended in failure.
To raise the military spirit, Soviet newspapers talked about the exploits of the Red Army. N. Gastello, A. Matrosov, 28 Panfilov heroes, V. Talalikhin, 3. Kosmodemyanskaya and many others sacrificed their lives to stop the enemy and destroy the conquerors. The words spoken by the soldier V. Klochkov flew all over the country: “Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat, behind Moscow.” The whole country rose to defend the homeland. The war has truly become a national and national war.
November 7, 1941 I.V. Stalin on Red Square reminded the outgoing Soviet troops of the exploits of Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy.
Soviet pilots, sacrificing their lives, were ramming German aircraft. Air battles gave all new heroes.
At the same time, Stalin continued to pursue a policy of repression. Not admitting guilt for the retreat of the Red Army, he found the "real" culprits among the officers of the units. A group of generals of the Western and Northwest Fronts appeared before the court of the military tribunal. G.K. Zhukov, despite all the merits, was removed from his post.
Soviet rear during the war Economy
From the very beginning of the war, the restructuring of the economy on a war footing began.
The hardest war once again showed the ability of the Soviet people to rally in moments of danger. Instead of the men who went to the front, women and children became machines. For 1941-1945 in the USSR, 103 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts, 112 thousand aircraft, 482 thousand guns were produced.
Allied help
By the efforts of Soviet and American diplomacy, on August 7, President Roosevelt decided to extend the Lend-Lease Act to the USSR - the provision of supplies of military equipment, industrial and food products on loan and lease terms.
Almost immediately, the United States extended a $ 90 million loan to the Soviet Union to supply gold and procure strategic raw materials.
From October 1, 1941 to June 3, 1942, the United States and England pledged to send 400 aircraft, 500 tanks, anti-aircraft and missile launchers to the Soviet Union every month.
Returns from the USSR were to be delivered from the country's gold reserves.
On August 1, 1941, an English naval ship Adventure, which arrived in the USSR with a load of depth charges and magnetic mines, escorted to Arkhangelsk, accompanied by a Soviet destroyer.
Thus began the allied supplies to the USSR through four main routes:
1) through the Arctic seas, transport convoys went to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk;
2) in the south - from the Persian Gulf through deserts and mountains by rail and air to Transcaucasia;
3) through the ice fields of Alaska and the taiga of Siberia, cargo was delivered by aviation;
4) transporters were coming from California to the Far East. Thousands of Russians, British, and Americans - specialists, technicians, translators, with the help of representatives of other nations, have been closely interconnected for many months. In total, during the war years, about 20 million tons of cargo for various purposes, 22 195 aircraft, 12 980 tanks, 560 ships and ships were delivered. In addition, industrial equipment, explosives, railroad cars, steam locomotives, medicines, and food were supplied.
Evacuation
An evacuation council has been created in the country. For 1941-1943 2.5 thousand factories and more than 10 million from the front-line and central regions of the country were evacuated to the eastern regions
The evacuated enterprises very quickly again began production of the necessary products for the front.
Agriculture
The main food base of agriculture after the enemy occupied large agricultural territories became the Volga region, the Urals, Siberia, and Central Asia.
Since the fall of 1941, a card distribution system for basic food products was introduced.
Scientists
Many scientific institutions were transported inland. More than 2 thousand employees of the USSR Academy of Sciences fought in units of the army, the people's militia, and partisan units.
A huge contribution was made by scientists to the cause of victory. New deposits were discovered - ores and non-ferrous metals, oil and gas.
A major role in the development of new technology was played by discoveries in the field of aerodynamics, chemical and fuel industries.
S. Chaplygin, M. Cheldysh, S. Kharitonovich developed new models of combat aircraft.
A. Ioffe contributed to the creation of domestic radars.
A group of scientists led by I. Kurchatov set about creating nuclear weapons.
Soviet designers developed the T-34 tank, KV and IS heavy tanks, and self-propelled artillery mounts (SPGs). The Jet Institute developed the famous Katyusha.
Journalism. Articles about the events on the front of I. Erenburg, A. Tolstoy, L. Leonov, M. Sholokhov.
Significant literary works: M. Sholokhov “They Fought for the Motherland”; K. Simonov “Days and Nights”; A. Beck "Volokolamsk highway."
Poetic works. O. Berggolz “February Diary”; K. Simonov “Wait for me”; A. Twardowski "Vasily Terkin."
Cinema. Documentary films shot directly on the days of battle; feature films: “Zoya”; "Mashenka"; "Two fighters"; "Invasion."
Songs. V. Lebedev-Kumach “The Holy War”; M. Blanter "In the Frontline Forest"; N. Theological "The Dark Night"; K. Listov "Dugout".
Musical works. D. Shostakovich - The Seventh Symphony, written in besieged Leningrad; S. Prokofiev "1941".
Brigades of actors went to the front with concerts to the rear workers. There are 700 brigades in Moscow and 500 in Leningrad.
Works of art. Propaganda posters - “TASS Windows”. Poster I. Toidze "Motherland is calling!".
Guerrilla warfare
In the occupied territories resistance groups, partisan detachments were organized. For their coordination, the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement was created, headed by P. Ponomarenko. Since 1942 partisans have diverted over 10% of German troops. They staged ambushes, sabotage, and raids.
Between 1942 and early 1943, partisans committed 1,500 sabotage on the railways.
The partisans were commanded by V. Begma, P. Vershigora, S. Kovpak, V. Kozlov, V. Korzh, D. Medvedev, A. Fedorov and many other brave commanders.
Russian Orthodox Church during the war
The Russian Orthodox Church called on believers to defend their homeland. At the call of Metropolitan Sergius, funds were raised for a tank column named after St. Demetrius Donskoy. In September 1943, a meeting of church leaders with Stalin took place, which allowed after a long break from 1925 to elect a new patriarch. He became Sergius. Church services were permitted throughout the country. Most of all, people prayed for victory and for the salvation of their country.
The second period of World War II
The collapse of the offensive near Moscow
The offensive on Moscow only began in 1941. The German Army Group Center carried out Operation Typhoon. On October 20, a state of siege was introduced in the capital. The beginning frosts stopped the Nazis and. allowed the Soviet troops to deliver a crushing counterattack. The counterattack began on December 5, 1941. Kalinin, Klin, Solnechnogorsk, and Istra were liberated. The enemy was driven back from Moscow 100-250 km. This was the first major defeat of German troops in the Great Patriotic War.
The offensive of the Soviet troops
In the winter of 1941-1942. The Red Army inflicted a series of powerful strikes in the north, south, and center. The landing on the Kerch Peninsula was landed.
At the same time, a total mobilization took place in Germany. Almost all divisions were transferred from West to East.
Balance of power
The offensive of the Soviet troops was replaced by temporary setbacks in the Crimea and near Kharkov. The loss of Crimea dramatically changed the strategic situation in favor of the enemy. Germany rushed to the Caucasus.
1942 German troops went on the offensive in the Kursk-Voronezh direction. Another group launched an offensive southward. Rostov was commissioned; Germans occupied East Donbass.
The main forces of the Red Army escaped encirclement and moved east and south.
German troops moved to Stalingrad. His defense began.
The third period of World War II. Root fracture
In mid-July 1942, German troops rushed to Stalingrad. They set themselves the goal of cutting the paths connecting the Caucasus with the center of Russia along the Volga, defeating the forces of the Red Army and taking control of the Volga city. The Germans at the approaches to Stalingrad faced the stubborn defense of the Red Army. They had to transfer divisions from other fronts under Stalingrad. On August 23, after fierce battles, the 6th Army left the Volga north of Stalingrad. The city itself was brutally fired by German aircraft.
The Soviet command developed a plan called "Uranus" with detailed actions by Soviet troops near Stalingrad.
According to the Uranus plan, double and even triple superiority over the enemy was created in the directions of the main attack of the Soviet troops.
The secretive movement of troops allowed us to make a surprise blow to our army for the fascist command.
Stalingrad became synonymous with the mass heroism of Soviet soldiers, entire regiments and divisions.
The 62nd and 64th armies under the command of Generals V.I. covered themselves with unfading glory. Chuikova and M.S. Shumilova.
Battle of stalingrad
On November 19, at 7.30 a.m., Soviet artillery opened heavy fire at the enemy, who occupied the defense on the right bank of the Don. Tank formations and infantry of the Southwestern Front were thrown into the breakthrough. They marched towards parts of the Southwestern Front. On November 23, troops of two Soviet fronts joined in the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of Kalach. The main forces of the enemy, 330,000 soldiers and officers, were surrounded.
An attempt to break through the ring of Soviet troops, undertaken by E. Manstein, ended in failure. January 8 K.K. Rokossovsky suggested that the German group surrender, but General F. Paulus did not accept the ultimatum, continuing the fighting until February 2, 1943. After that, the Germans nevertheless surrendered. 91,000 people were captured, including 24 generals.
In the spring of 1943, the Germans fled from the Caucasus, so as not to get surrounded.
This was the beginning of a radical change during the Great Patriotic War.
Kursk Bulge
The German operation "Citadel" provided for the encirclement of Soviet troops in the Kursk region. This was Hitler's last chance to crush the USSR.
General Staff led by A.M. Vasilevsky developed a plan of active defense, so that, after exhausting the enemy, bring down all the strength of the main and reserve armies. On July 12, 1943, in the vicinity of the village of Prokhorovka, the largest tank battle took place, in which 1,200 tanks participated.
During the Battle of Kursk, the guerrillas conducted Operation Concert, and then Rail War. Hundreds of thousands of rails were blown up. In a number of places, the movement of trains was completely paralyzed.
Offensive of the Red Army
On the same day, the Red Army went on the offensive. The cities of Belgorod and Oryol were soon liberated. In honor of this victory, the first salute in the history of the Great Patriotic War was fired in Moscow.
November 6, Kiev was liberated. A radical turning point in the course of hostilities took place, Soviet troops advanced in most directions.
The period of setbacks for the Red Army ended in battles near Stalingrad and in the North Caucasus.
The fourth and fifth periods of World War II
The main events of the fourth period
The blockade of Leningrad, which lasted 900 days and nights, claimed the lives of thousands of Leningraders. Food was brought to the city on the ice of Lake Ladoga, but it was not enough. The so-called road of life was fired by German planes. In January 1944, the blockade was broken.
In the spring, a major offensive began in Ukraine.
In March 1944, Soviet troops entered the USSR state border on the territory of Moldova.
In May 1944, Sevastopol, the base of the Black Sea Fleet, was liberated.
In June, the Mannerheim Defensive Line was broken, and Finland began peace negotiations.
The most powerful operation in 1944 was Bagration, an offensive of four fronts in Belarus. Within two weeks, Soviet troops routed the enemy in the region of Vitebsk, Bobruisk, Mogilev, Orsha. The situation of the beginning of the war repeated, only unlike the Red Army, German troops were in fortified positions and were ready to repel the strike. Operation Bagration is the highest achievement of the strategic thought of Soviet commanders, especially K. Rokossovsky.
The liberation mission of the Red Army
In the fall of 1944, German troops left the Baltic states, only in Latvia did separate units fight surrounded until May 1945.
In June 1944, Soviet troops launched the Vistula-Oder operation - the liberation of Poland.
In August, after the Iasi-Chisinau operation, Romania entered the war on the side of the USSR.
In September, as a result of a popular uprising, Bulgaria overthrew the fascist government.
In October, Soviet troops and Yugoslav patriots liberated Belgrade.
Allied actions. The creation of the anti-Hitler coalition
The attack of Germany and its allies on the USSR, and then the Japanese aggression against the USA and Great Britain, led to the unification of all forces fighting against the fascist aggressors into a single anti-fascist coalition. Its most important document was the Atlantic Charter, signed by W. Churchill and F. Roosevelt in August 1944, and later by the Soviet Union. The charter spoke of the need to disarm the aggressors and create a reliable security system. As a result of the signing of these and other documents, a military-political union of three great powers was formed: the USSR, Great Britain and the USA.
The main factor that united the states of the anti-fascist coalition was a joint struggle against aggressors.
The first joint action of the USSR and Great Britain was the occupation of Iran in order to prevent its rapprochement with fascist Germany.
In November 1941, the Lend-Lease Act was extended to the USSR.
On January 1, 1942, 26 states signed the United Nations Declaration by joining the Atlantic Charter.
In the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, the output of military products increased.
In 1942-1943 of great importance was the resistance movement, which became the reaction of the occupied countries to the order established by the aggressors. The forms of resistance were different: partisan movement, sabotage, disruption of military supplies and much more.
In Tehran, a meeting was held between the leaders of the three main states of the anti-Hitler coalition - Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin. It was decided to open the 2nd front no later than May 1944.
At this time, the Allied troops were landed in Normandy - 3 million soldiers supported by airplanes and ships. The allies advanced in France, supported by anti-fascist uprisings.
At the Crimean Conference in February 1945, the relations of the allies were developed.
In February 1945, Anglo-American troops under the command of Eisenhower and Montgomery launched a new offensive on the Western Front. Soviet troops moved towards them under the command of Marshals G. Zhukov, I. Konev and other Soviet commanders.
On April 25, on the Elbe in the Torgau region, Soviet troops allied with the Allied forces and began the assault on Berlin - this event has remained in history under the name of “meeting on the Elbe”.
The capture of Berlin
Berlin was advancing:
1st Belorussian (G.K. Zhukov);
2nd Belorussian (K.K. Rokossovsky);
1st Ukrainian (I.S. Konev) fronts.
On April 25, a meeting of Soviet and Anglo-American troops took place. Berlin was surrounded and captured by Soviet troops. Hitler committed suicide. On the eve of May 1, 1945, fighters of the 150th Infantry Division M.A. Egorov and M.V. Cantaria was hoisted on the Reichstag Red Victory Banner.
June 24, 1945 in Moscow on Red Square, the Victory Parade was held. Commanded Parade K.K. Rokossovsky, hosted the Parade G.K. Zhukov.
The fifth period of World War II.
The defeat of Japan
3 months after the defeat of Germany, on August 8, 1945, the USSR declared war on Japan and defeated the 1 millionth Kwantung Army in 3 weeks. Soviet troops liberated Manchuria, North Korea, captured South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
War Results
The Nuremberg trial, which began in December 1945, was not only a punishment for war criminals. It became a fact of condemnation of fascism and Nazism by the international community. This was the beginning of the process of liberating Europe from fascism. In addition, the verdict of the International Tribunal ended the age-old impunity of aggression and aggressors.
Losses of the USSR during the war amounted to about 30 million people (of which 10 million - in hostilities, almost 6 million - in German captivity, 1 million - in besieged Leningrad; 1.5 million - victims of the Gulag). A third of national wealth was destroyed.
In the western regions of the country, 1710 cities and urban-type settlements, 70 thousand villages and villages were destroyed.
In the prewar five-year periods, the USSR achieved surprising success in all areas, including the military-industrial complex. First, in an environment of a hostile environment, mainly due to the mobilization of internal resources and forces, the economy and transport destroyed during the First World War and the Civil War were restored. Then the task was set to eliminate the 50-100-year-old economic and technical backwardness from the West, and this task was successfully solved. The Soviet Union became the world's second industrial power, second only to the United States.
Soviet society was built by simultaneously transforming the national economy, culture, education and science. In the first five-year period (1928-1932), completed in 4 years and 3 months, the volume of industrial production increased twofold compared to 1928. For the second five-year period (1933-1937), also carried out ahead of schedule, the gross industrial output increased 2.2 times as compared with 1932. The USSR came out on top in Europe and second in the world in terms of industrial production! Thus, the Soviet Union overtook such traditionally strong and advanced Western economies as Britain, France and Germany.
In March 1939, the 18th Party Congress considered and approved the third five-year plan of the national economy (1938-1942), which envisaged the creation of a powerful industrial base in the eastern regions of the country. In carrying out this plan, 2900 industrial enterprises were commissioned. In Siberia, created a second coal and metallurgical base. Developed new deposits of coal and oil in the Far North, between the Volga and the Urals in the Far East. The full five-year plan could not be realized due to the outbreak of war. However, what they managed to do helped Russia-USSR survive and win this terrible war.
In total, over the years of the prewar five-year plans, 8900 enterprises were built in the country. Soviet industry has reached a high level of development. Primary attention was paid to the construction of heavy industry enterprises as the material basis of socialism. Complete collectivization ended, and the mechanization of agriculture increased significantly.
At the same time, society has changed a lot. The creation of a new society of service and creation took place. Despite all the difficulties of the transition period, the country was engulfed in great inspiration, patriotism. New generations were brought up, for whom the private, the personal, and the material receded into the background compared to the ideal, national, and state. A cultural revolution has taken place: illiteracy of the population has been eliminated, a new best school in the world has been built, millions of cadres of the new Soviet intelligentsia have been educated. As a result, while the German soldiers in World War I were mainly opposed by an illiterate mass of peasants who did not know the purpose of the war, then during the Great War the Germans faced a completely different enemy - these were mainly representatives of the working class or intelligentsia, as well as workers' villages, familiar with technology, educated and knowing that they are fighting for “their” power and the socialist homeland. In 1937, the Red Army became an army of complete literacy. In addition, many youth representatives had initial military training, were introduced to physical education, etc. Thus, the Soviet (multinational Russian) people were distinguished by moral and political unity, which became one of the main achievements of the Soviet system. Such a people was invincible. 
Moscow in the pre-war period seriously strengthened its military-strategic position on the western borders. During the Soviet-Finnish war, the strategic position of the second capital of the USSR and the largest industrial center - Leningrad was strengthened. In the summer of 1940, Bucharest was forced to agree to the demand of the Soviet government for the return of Bessarabia, torn away from Russia, the Moldavian SSR was formed. In the summer of 1940, Russia returned to the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia). The Baltic republics became equal Soviet republics. In September 1939, during the German war against Poland, Moscow sent troops into the western regions of Belarus and Little Russia, which Warsaw captured during the death of the Russian Empire.
Thus, the Kremlin returned the original Russian territories, drenched with the blood of millions of Russians and people and historically belonging to Russian civilization, and pushed back the western borders, which improved the military-strategic position of the USSR in anticipation of the war.
The successes of the economic development of the Union, the advantages of its social and state system created the necessary prerequisites for the development of military power necessary to ensure the security of the country and people. The USSR did not spare funds and forces for defense. The Kremlin understood that the great war had already begun and it was only a matter of time before the enemy attacked the Union. This forced to increase the pace of technical equipment of the ground forces, air force and navy. At the same time, the organization of the Armed Forces of the USSR was improved.
The state created a strong design base, which allowed the creation of new types of aircraft, tanks, artillery, ships, small arms, etc. The leading designers were S. V. Ilyushin, S. A. Lavochkin, A. S. Yakovlev, A. N. Tupolev, N. N. Polikarpov, A. I. Mikoyan, M. I. Koshkin, A. A. Morozov, J. Ya. Kotin, V. G. Grabin, A. G. Kostikov, G. S. Shpagin, V. A. Degtyarev, F. V. Tokarev and others. As a result, the technical equipment of the Red Army was constantly increasing. The production of aircraft, tanks, guns and other weapons and equipment in the second half of the 1930s increased sharply. For example, if in 1934 the Red Army had 17 thousand guns, then by the beginning of 1939 there were already 56 thousand.
Armored and mechanized troops were created and improved. Other troops also developed - engineering, railway, communications, air defense, airborne, border, etc. Particular attention was paid to the development of the air force. The country has developed the activities of research institutes and large design organizations in the field of aviation. Created aircraft factories, enterprises producing engines and aircraft devices. “That was the time,” writes one of the leading aircraft designers of the USSR A.S. Yakovlev, “when our aviators broke out into the world arena of air competitions. The successes of Soviet aviation were based on the creative pursuit of our designers and on the rapidly growing aviation industry. ” In particular, in 1937, Soviet pilots set about 30 international records on domestic aircraft.
The Soviet fleet also significantly increased its power. The construction of new warships was unfolding. First, small, and then larger for the large ocean fleet. Serial production of submarines, torpedo boats and aircraft for naval aviation was organized. The Pacific Fleet was created in 1932, and the Northern Flotilla in 1933. The fleet tonnage from 1930 to 1939 increased by more than 130%.
After the 18th Party Congress (March 1939), the government paid even more attention to the country's defense. If the annual output of all industries increased on average by 13%, then the defense - 39%. A number of large industrial enterprises were transferred to the production of defense products. The construction of new military plants was unfolding. The People’s Commissar of the Defense Industry in January 1939 was divided into four People’s Commissars, for greater efficiency: the aircraft industry, shipbuilding, ammunition and weapons. From the People’s Commissariat of Mechanical Engineering, people's commissariats of heavy, medium and general engineering were created. People’s commissariats for road transport, construction, etc. are being created, which in general helped strengthen the country's defense. Councils on defense industry, metallurgy, fuel, engineering, etc. are being created from the Economic Council under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. Deputy Chairpersons of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR N. A. Voznesensky, A. N. Kosygin, V. A. Malyshev, etc. are all their chairmen. improved management of the industry contributed to the accelerated development of heavy and especially defense industry.
New enterprises are created mainly in the eastern regions of the country, remote from the western strategic direction: in the Volga region, in the Urals, in Siberia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia. Thus, the new industrial base was removed from the possible areas of battles and attacks of the potential enemy, and at the same time Moscow evenly developed all areas of the country, creating the potential for the future prosperity of the entire state. 
In September 1939, the Law on General Military Duty was adopted. Previous restrictions on military service were abolished, its term was extended from 2 to 3 years, and in the navy - up to 5 years. The draft age was reduced from 21 to 19 years. As a result, if by January 1, 1935 the army was a little more than 1.5 million people, then by January 1, 1941 it increased to 4.2 million people. By June 1, 1941, the number of the Armed Forces amounted to over 5 million people. Taking into account the increased military threat and with the goal of the fastest growth of economic power, a decree was passed on June 26, 1940, "On the transition to an 8-hour working day, a seven-day week and on the prohibition of unauthorized withdrawal of workers and employees from enterprises and institutions."
In the last prewar years, the growth of the country's defense power continued uninterruptedly. In the years 1939-1940. new fighter jets were created — the Yak-1, MiG-3, LaGG-3, the Il-2 attack aircraft, the Pe-2 dive bomber, and others. In the third and fourth quarters of 1940, all old fighters were withdrawn from serial production. The development of mass production of new aircraft began. New models of technology were created in the field of tank construction. In 1940, the production of heavy KV tanks and T-34 medium tanks began, which were then the best in the world in terms of combat qualities (even taking into account "childhood diseases"). Important decisions were made on the organization of mass production of tanks in the Volga region and in the Urals. From January 1939 to June 22, 1941, industry gave the army more than 7 thousand tanks. The production of artillery guns, small arms and ammunition increased. The army received new artillery pieces of the 1939 model: 76-mm divisional, 37-mm and 85-mm anti-aircraft guns, 210-mm gun, 28-mm mortar and 305-mm howitzer. From January 1939 to June 22, 1941, the Red Army received about 30 thousand guns, more than 52 thousand mortars, etc.
The power of the fleet continued to grow. Since the beginning of 1941, the construction of battleships and heavy cruisers was stopped, they no longer had time to complete them, all attention was concentrated on small surface ships and submarines. From 1927 to June 22, 1941, 312 ships entered service, including 4 cruisers, 30 destroyers, 206 submarines, etc. In addition, the fleet was replenished with 477 combat boats and a large number of auxiliary vessels. In total, on the eve of the war, the USSR fleet had 3 battleships, 7 cruisers, 59 leaders and destroyers, 218 submarines, 269 torpedo boats and about 2,600 aircraft.
However, there were many problems that weakened the combat power of the USSR Armed Forces. The army sharply increased in quantitative terms, as a result, there was a lack of experienced and fully trained command personnel. Apparently, representatives of the “fifth column” —non-finished Trotskyists — remained in the Soviet generals, which led to a series of failures in the initial period of World War II.
There were problems in almost every area. For example, the Soviet Union was the first to create large mechanized units - brigades and corps. However, due to an incorrect assessment of the experience of the war in Spain, the mechanized corps was disbanded and created smaller units - brigades and regiments. In the middle of 1940, taking into account the success of large armored formations on the Western Front, the erroneousness of the measure became visible, it was decided to create 9 new mechanized corps. In February-March 1941, another 20 mechanized corps began to form. However, it was impossible to immediately solve a task of this magnitude: the tank industry could not supply such a number of tanks (32,000 tanks, including more than 16,000 new types of tanks, were needed to fully equip all new corps); Mass training of technical and command personnel was required; create the material base for servicing the mass of equipment; to develop methods for using such masses of tanks in battle, their interaction with aviation, artillery, infantry, etc. Thus, the formation and equipping of equipment for all new mechanized corps was not completed. However, the first 9 mechanized corps created by the first played a large role at the beginning of the war, holding back the onslaught of the enemy.
The rifle troops needed serious reinforcement. According to the wartime states approved in April 1941, the rifle division was supposed to have 14.5 thousand people, 78 field guns, 54 anti-tank guns, 12 anti-aircraft guns, 66 mortars of 82-120 mm caliber, 16 light tanks, 13 armored vehicles , over 3 thousand horses. In June 1941, there were 303 divisions in the Soviet ground forces, of which 81 were at the formation stage. There were 170 divisions in five border districts, a significant part of them each had 8–9 thousand people, some 5–6 thousand people. Inland, divisions also had reduced staff.
The troops received from industry a large number of guns and mortars. In the border districts, military artillery was mainly staffed to full-time standards. However, it was bad to deal with mechanical traction for artillery. The artillery of the reserve of the High Command (RGK) was not quantitatively sufficient. In the spring of 1941, 10 anti-tank artillery brigades of the RKG began to be formed, but they did not manage to do this before the war. The prototypes of jet weapons created by the beginning of the war (BM-13, Katyusha) did not immediately receive due recognition, and only in June it was decided to mass production of rocket launchers.
The development of aviation in the USSR was given paramount importance. So, in 1940, compared with 1939, the aviation industry grew by more than 70%. The construction of new aircraft manufacturing and aircraft engine plants continued. But the main problem was improving the combat and flight performance of aircraft. There were few new types of fighters and bombers in the Air Force. And old cars were inferior to similar German cars according to flight technical data. The reorganization and growth of the Air Force also required retraining of the flight personnel. New air regiments were being formed, new airdromes were being built, the rear of the Air Force was being reorganized, etc. At the same time, the entire air defense system of the country was being transformed.
Thus, the enemy found the Red Army at the stage of the formation of new formations, rearmament, reorganization and retraining, and the preparation of new fortified lines. In addition, part of the Soviet generals worked for the Trotskyist underground or inherited the psychology of the tsarist generals (peacetime generals, incapable of feat and action in crisis conditions). However, the Red Army of the 1941 model was qualitatively different for the better from the spacecraft of the 1925-1935 model, when even Poland or Finland were a serious opponent for the USSR. There were already beginnings in it, which in 1944-1945 made the Red Army the most powerful force on the planet.
Shielded T-28 tanks pass through Red Square during the parade on November 7, 1940
Strategic situation in June 1941
From the summer of 1940, when France and the expeditionary forces of England were defeated, until June 1941, military operations were limited. Individual outbreaks of active actions were replaced by pauses. After air strikes against England in winter, Germany continued to struggle in the Atlantic and, together with Italy, in the Mediterranean and North Africa. The German command practically abandoned cruising operations by surface forces, and now only the German submarine fleet threatened English communications. In addition, during the preparation of the war with the USSR, Germany transferred part of its submarine forces from the Atlantic to the Barents and Baltic seas (ten submarines were relocated to the Mediterranean Sea). In the spring of 1941, Greece and Yugoslavia were defeated and occupied.
But the main attention of Nazi Germany was attracted by preparations for the war with the USSR. Berlin completed the strategic deployment of the armed forces along the western borders of the USSR. The accession to the German bloc of Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, as well as the defeat of Yugoslavia and Greece, ensured the southern strategic flank of the Wehrmacht. More than 150 divisions of the ground forces were intended to attack the Soviet Union. 38 divisions and 2 tank brigades remained in France, Belgium and Holland; 9 infantry divisions - in Denmark and Norway; 8 infantry divisions - in the Balkans, in North Africa - 2 tank divisions; 5 infantry divisions and 3 brigades - in Germany, Austria, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The main composition of the German fleet was still diverted to the Atlantic. Part of it was deployed against the USSR. So, in the Baltic, the Germans had about 100 warships to act against the Soviet Baltic Fleet and provide the coastal flank of Army Group North. The allies of Germany - Romania, Hungary and Finland, put up 37 divisions against the USSR. That is, about 190 divisions were put up against the USSR at the beginning of the war. In addition, 2 Slovak infantry divisions and a motorized brigade, an Italian expeditionary force consisting of 3 divisions were to take part in the aggression against the USSR.
Italy still focused on the Mediterranean Sea and the Balkans. By June 1941, of 64 Italian divisions, 33 were located on the Balkan Peninsula, 24 in Italy (3 were being prepared for transfer to the Russian Front), 7 in North Africa. Most of the Italian fleet and aircraft operated on the Mediterranean Sea.
England during this period focused on organizing the defense of the metropolis and sea lanes, mainly in the North Atlantic, where Britain's main sea lanes were located. British aviation occasionally bombed economic facilities in Germany. Three quarters of the ground forces were deployed in the metropolis. In North Africa, the Near and Middle East, a half-million army was located, which mainly consisted of Australian, Indian, New Zealand, and South African units and formations. The fleet covered England and fought in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Given the reduction of the threat directly to the metropolis, the British command sent significant fleet forces to ensure communications in the Atlantic. By June 1941, the number of British escort ships in the Atlantic reached about 700.
In the spring of 1941, the position of England in the Mediterranean somewhat worsened due to the loss of Greece and Crete. However, this unfavorable factor was offset by the fact that the main focus of Germany was riveted on the USSR and Hitler curtailed plans to expand the control zone in the Mediterranean. In particular, the operation to seize Malta was curtailed, and the 10th Corps of the German Air Force was transferred from the Mediterranean Theater to attack the USSR. Therefore, the British fleet retained dominance in the middle and western parts of the Mediterranean Sea and a strong base in Malta, from where it was possible to strike at the communications of the Italo-German forces. In North Africa, where it was located 100 thousand. Italian-German contingent, at this time no active action was carried out.
The Japanese empire, continuing the war of aggression in China, hoped to use the impending war of Germany against the USSR and the weakening of the colonial powers in the Asia-Pacific region, to realize its own expansion. The primary direction was southern, but after the defeat of the main forces of the Soviet Union by the Germans, the Japanese hoped for a significant expansion of their possessions at the expense of Russian lands. To strike at the positions of the United States and Britain in the Pacific, it was planned to use the main forces of the fleet and aviation, more than 10 land divisions. To attack the USSR, it was planned to use the Manchu bridgehead, where 400 thousand were located. Kwantung army. Japan had 39 divisions in China (12 of them in Manchuria), 2 in Korea, 9 divisions in Japan.
Russia. WWII. Preparation of the USSR for war
Preparation of the Red Army for war:
Since 1931, at the initiative of Tukhachevsky, mechanized corps, mass airborne forces. The total strength of the USSR Armed Forces in 1938 reached 1.5 million. But in 1937-1938. there were repressions on the military elite of the country. In 1940, 70 commanders and chiefs of staff had no basic military training; they completed only short-term courses. They had no combat experience.
AT 1940 S.K. was appointed People's Commissar of Defense Tymoshenko, Army General G.K. appointed head of the General Staff Zhukov, who proved himself at Khalkhin Gol.
Building up the country's military-economic potential.In the Five Five-Year Plan (1938-1942) fixed assets were allocated for developmentheavy industry especiallymilitary . In the Urals and Siberia were built backup enterprises. Warehouses were created. State reserves of metal, oil, coal, and food were formed. The growth of defense products amounted to 1939-1840. 39% off.
Was walking the militarization of labor in 1940 d.: a 7-day working week has been established, an 8-hour working day has been introduced (before that it was a 7-hour working day), the ban is threatened by criminal penalties for dismissal at will and the transfer from one enterprise to another without the permission of the administration. The formal attachment of workers and employees to their jobs was carried out. Delays in work were punishable under the criminal code. Delays over 20 min. equated to truancy. The production of substandard products was considered an “anti-state crime”. Thus, the industry has established itself team leadership .
AT 1939 introduced general conscription. The strength of the Red Army was increased to 5.5 million. The draft age was reduced from 21 to 18 years, the service life was increased to 3-5 years, the status of the stock was increased from 40 to 50 years.
Lack of command staff. In 1937-1938 was arrested, expelled from the party and retired from the army 35 thousand person. Of the 733 people in the top management team, 579 people died. Of the 16 commanders, 15 were killed. Of the 169 division commanders, 136. Thousands of regiment, battalion, and squadron commanders were arrested and executed. Deficit the command staff was partially reimbursed the return to the army of part of the repressed officers (12 thousand). In 1938 - 1940 combat experience was gained at Khalkhin Gol, Poland, Finland
The rearmament of the Red Army with new military equipment began (from 1939-1940). Serial production of aircraft began (Yak-1, Mig-3 fighters, Il-2 attack aircraft, Pe-20 bombers; tanks (T-34 and KV), which were not inferior to the German ones. However, their equipment was unsatisfactory.
Was developedstrategy upcoming war. Stalin insisted on an offensive strategy, but did not seriously consider defense plans. Operational plans for a preemptive strike were developed. But they were not approved. However, serious miscalculations were made. Management considered that A). war will be fought on two fronts, against Germany and Japan. B) Counter strike concept: it was assumed that The Red Army will repel an enemy attack near the western border of the USSR, transfer the fighting to enemy territory. AT). Main battles deployed at the border. The idea of \u200b\u200bthe possibility of a retreat of the Red Army inland was not allowed.. It was believed that the war will be fought on the territory of the enemy with "little blood". D) defenses on the old border of the USSR were dismantled. But at the new borders did not have time to build defensive structures. E). It was assumed that Germany will try to seize the lands and resources of Ukraine and strike its main blow to the South. Therefore, the main forces of the Red Army were concentrated in the South-West direction. According to Zhukov, by June 22, 1941, there were no operational and mobilization plans approved by the government.
The troops did not study the experience of the Wehrmacht battles in Europe in 1939-1940.
Ideological and moral preparation for war. A) 1934 published the work of Stalin "A Short History of the CPSU (b). It developed the idea of \u200b\u200bcontinuity between the Russian Empire and the USSR in confronting external enemies. He was called to form a patriotic worldview. In the 1930s Stalin wrote the work "Fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism", creating his image as the main theorist of Marxism in the USSR, the successor of the work of Marx and Lenin. B) The prestige of the Red Army was increased (the film "Tractor Drivers"; songs that claimed that "the armor is strong and our tanks are fast"). People were sure that if the war began, it would be waged on foreign territory and with "little blood."
However, according to Zhukov, on the eve of the war, the organization and armament of our troops was not up to par, the air defense remained extremely low, and there were practically no mechanized formations.
Before the war, Soviet aviation was inferior to German; artillery was poorly provided with tractors.
Miscalculations of Hitler and his entourage(did not doubt a quick victory):
1. Underestimated the forces of the Red Army, believing that the repression led to the loss of its combat effectiveness. The rearmament of the army has just begun.
2. Underestimated the economic potential of the USSR.
3. Underestimated the patriotism of the peoples living in the USSR. They hoped for an explosion of ethnic hatred in the USSR.
4. Hoping for the support of collective farmers forcibly driven into collective farms. It was believed that the collective farmers were opposed to Soviet power
Before the invasion of German troops
Stalin hoped for an opportunity to delay the war at least until 1942. He doubted the reliability of information about the preparation of Germany for the invasion of the USSR. He was sure that Germany would attack the USSR only after the defeat of England and the conquest of the Middle East, i.e. in 1942, Stalin regarded intelligence information (Richard Sorge) as misinformation.
Stalin and his entourage made serious political and military-strategic miscalculations when analyzing the pre-war situation. The country was preparing for war, but the war was quick and victorious. These miscalculations turned into enormous losses. Preparations for the war were not completed.
In order to avoid a war on two fronts, in 1941 a neutrality pact was signed between the USSR and Japan.
To strengthen the central leadership, Stalin was appointed in May 1941 as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR.
The balance of power in June 1941 before the invasion
The Red Army was inferior to the enemy in numbers, motorization of troops.
In the early days of the war, the Soviet leadership did not understand the extent of the German invasion. This is evidenced by the directive sent at 7 o’clock. The morning of June 22, 1941: "... the troops by all means and forces fall upon the enemy forces and destroy them in areas where they violated the Soviet border."
War. Preparation of the USSR for war.
From the moment he came to power in ruined agrarian Russia, Stalin directed all efforts to boost the economy and, first of all, to create powerful armed forces that would protect the first socialist state - the USSR from the invasion of capitalist armies. He conducted industrialization and laid the foundation for a powerful industrial base for the production of means of production, primarily for the production of military equipment, weapons and ammunition. He implemented the Leninsky GOELRO plan, that is, the electrification of the whole country, to create modern military technologies: “winged metal” aluminum was obtained only by electrolysis.
aluminum smelter. Stalin collectivized the village with the formation of collective farms and state farms in order to eliminate private ownership of land, and at the same time to pump huge funds and masses of people from rural to industrial.
In the first half of the 30s in the USSR, millions of peasants torn from the ground built powerful power plants, new mines and mines, the world's largest metallurgical plants for the production of metals, from which all kinds of machines will be made, but mainly military equipment and weapons. Hundreds of universities appeared in a completely illiterate country, which were trained by thousands of engineers: metallurgists, designers, technologists, chemists, engine builders, military men, radio engineers, etc. At the same time, huge factories were laid for future production, mainly military, in unprecedented quantities: tanks, planes, warships and submarines, guns, small arms, ammunition, bombs, shells and mines, gunpowders and explosives.
By the mid 30s. the industrial base was basically created, and the production of the armament itself began. Soviet designers have developed the most modern military equipment, weapons and ammunition. Trained personnel were needed for the Red Army, and thousands of military schools, schools and academies grew up in the country to train combat commanders, pilots, tankmen, navigators, artillerymen, naval specialists, radio engineers, sappers.
In each large city, parachute towers grew in the parks, for training future paratroopers. It was considered indecent for young men to appear without the badge of the TRP, the Voroshilovsky shooter, Osoaviahim, the badge of the paratrooper. After work and study, it was recommended that young people and girls go in for parachuting, learn to fly gliders, and then transfer to airplanes. The standard of living in the country steadily declined, light industry and agriculture served the army more and more.
Stalin saw the growth of military power in Germany and understood that sooner or later Hitler would attack the USSR, Germany needed Russian natural and human resources. Stalin invited European leaders to discuss joint action in the event of German aggression. The delegations of France and England arrived in Moscow. They insisted on military assistance from the USSR in the event of a German attack on one of the contracting countries. Since the USSR had no common borders with either England or France, the head of the Soviet delegation, People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov, demanded that the Red Army pass through Poland. The delegations of France and England categorically refused. This ended the negotiations.
Stalin understood that Germany would soon attack Poland, and then it would inevitably go east, and he offered Hitler negotiations. German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop arrived in the USSR. On August 23, 1939, the Non-aggression and Mutual Assistance Pact was signed between Germany and the USSR (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact).
On September 1, 1939, Hitler attacked Poland, but Stalin said that the Red Army was not yet ready for war. So Hitler was the only culprit of the war, England and France declared war on Germany. Only on September 17, when the Polish army was defeated, did the Red Army enter Poland to defend its borders against German aggression.
The USSR annexed Western Belarus and Western Ukraine, pushed its border 200-300 km to the west. Thousands of Polish officers were captured. They were invited to join the Red Army. The part agreed, and they organized the Polish Army, which later successfully fought with the Nazis along with the Red Army. Those who did not agree were shot in Katyn.
The United States had a great influence on the drawing of the USSR into the war. Hitler’s inhumane policies and his bloody anti-Semitism frightened all the capitalists of the world. But the oligarchs of the whole world, especially the American ones, were even more afraid of the communist threat from the USSR. Indeed, according to the theory of Marx and Lenin, the USSR, as a result of the world revolution, was supposed to destroy the entire capitalist society and build a world communist society without private property and without human exploitation by man.
As far back as the 1930s, a call was made at the US Congress to draw the USSR into the war against Hitler and to do this provide all possible assistance to the USSR in strengthening its military power. And when both sides mutually deplete themselves, the United States, in alliance with European countries, will destroy both the fascist and the communist threats. Congressman G. Truman, with the approval of Roosevelt, said: “Let Germany and Russia fight among themselves. If we see that Russia wins, we will help Germany. If we see Germany winning, we will help Russia. And may they kill each other as much as possible. ”
In the USSR, long before the war, American technology, American materials and American equipment went in a massive stream. American experts helped build the latest plants in the USSR and develop them. America even supplied military equipment to the USSR. So, under the guise of agricultural tractors, the United States sold unique high-speed BT tanks to the USSR. The USSR paid for all this at speculative prices in gold, works of art and valuable raw materials.
Large Western countries correctly assessed US policy and, instead of the previous boycott, also began to help Stalin in the construction of factories, they sold the latest technologies and valuable raw materials to the USSR. Even Hitler supplied the USSR with unique equipment and military equipment - in exchange for valuable raw materials, grain and timber, which were not in Germany.
On September 1, when the world had not yet suspected that the Second World War had begun, the 4th extraordinary session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was held. The main decision of the session was the introduction of draft age from 18 years. Prior to that, the draft age was 21 years old and not all were drafted into the Army, but selectively. Now, during 1939–40, all the recruits were simultaneously mobilized into the Red Army at once 4 draft years: 21st, 20th, 19th and 18th years of birth and at the same time all men who had not been drafted before. It was a gigantic appeal, the size of which no one can still name. These conscripts should be demobilized after 2 years, i.e. at the end of 1941. It was impossible to repeat such a set. That is, Stalin already in 1939. planned to enter the Second World War in 1941 and no later.
Using the Pact with Germany, Stalin continued to push the western border. The border with the Finns passed only 30 km from Leningrad. 11.11.39 Stalin declared war on Finland, but the Red Army was stuck in front of the Mannerheim Line, which the Finns had been building for 20 years, and which throughout the world was considered absolutely insurmountable. Frost below -40 degrees, snow 1.5-2 meters deep, huge boulders under the snow, on which tanks and cars were breaking, under the snow nonfreezing swamps and lakes. And the Finns covered it all with minefields, mined the bridges. The columns of our troops turned out to be locked on narrow forest roads, and the Finnish snipers, “cuckoos,” targeted our commanders, drivers, and sappers. The wounded died of blood loss in severe frost, from frostbite.
The Red Army suffered heavy losses, but managed to completely rebuild, commissioned the invulnerable KV-1 and KV-2 tanks, the maneuverable T-34s and, by March, crushed the theoretically insurmountable Mannerheim Line. The Finns requested peace, and our border here was pushed back almost 200 km. Militarily, it was the most brilliant victory in the 20th century, but it went unnoticed, because The West raised a noisy scandal about Soviet aggression, and the League of Nations expelled the USSR from its members as an aggressor.
Stalin did not pay much attention to this noise and continued his policy. He demanded that Romania return the USSR to Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. June 28, 1940, these territories became part of the USSR.
Stalin demanded that the Baltic countries (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania) consent to the introduction of Red Army garrisons in large cities. The Balts, unlike other countries, perfectly understood the significance of the victory of the Red Army in Finland and did not object. And soon here the workers demanded accession to the USSR, and these countries in 1940 became part of the USSR: Lithuania - August 3, Latvia - August 5, Estonia - August 6 ..
As a result, throughout the western border of the USSR he came into direct contact with Germany. This made it possible in the event of war to immediately transfer hostilities to German territory, but also created a serious danger of a sudden German attack on the USSR.
In the USSR, with the help of Western countries, intensive production of military equipment continued. In unimaginable quantities, ammunition was produced for all types of weapons: shells, bombs, mines, grenades, cartridges. The T-26 light tanks (under the English license), which made up the bulk of Soviet tanks, and the BT wheeled and tracked light tanks (according to American technology), for rapid raids on European highways, were produced in huge series. Factories in large quantities produced the latest and best guns, howitzers and mortars in the world.
The Red Army, the only one in the world, had powerful all-terrain tanks with low-combustible diesel fuel: invulnerable heavy tanks KV, medium tanks T-34, light tanks T-50, amphibious tanks T-37 and T-40, high-speed wheeled tracked tanks BT -7m, which on European freeways developed speeds of up to 140 km / h on wheels. For comparison: besides the USSR, England had “Matilda” heavy tanks, but they could only move on level ground and could not climb a single hill, and their armor on rivets was loosened by shells and fell off.
The USSR began mass production of modern aircraft. The Yak-1, LaGG-3, and MiG-3 fighters were not inferior to the German Messerschmitt, Focke-Wulf, and Heinkel. The fully armored Il-2 attack aircraft, the “flying tank”, had no analogues in the world at all. The Pe-2 front-line bomber remained the best in the world until the end of the war. The DB-3F (IL-4) long-range bomber exceeded all German bombers. The strategic bomber Pe-8 was unparalleled in the world. On it, the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.M.Molotov during the war twice flew through Germany to England and the United States and vice versa, but the German air defense forces did not notice him.
The gunsmiths developed the best in the world and easy-to-manufacture Shpagin assault rifles (PPSh) - the most massive in the Red Army; Degtyareva (PPD); Goryunova (BCP); Sudaeva (PPS) - recognized as the best in the 2nd World War - which any bed workshop could produce, and prepared their mass production. One such production of PPSh began to operate before the war in Zagorsk (ZEMZ - “Skobyanka”).
For the first time in the world, rocket launchers of the RS were developed for aviation, which were used by all fighters and attack aircraft. On June 21, 1941, a completely new weapon was adopted by the Red Army: the BM-13 (130 mm caliber) and BM-8 (68 mm caliber) multiple-launch rocket launchers, the famous Katyusha rockets.
At the urgent request of Prime Minister Churchill with unspoken US pressure, I.V. Stalin finally agreed to open in July 1941 a Second Front against Hitler if the Wehrmacht attacked England. Stalin began to concentrate troops near our Western border, the Red Army gathered huge forces for offensive operations. However, this concentration of the Red Army at the eastern border of Germany alarmed Hitler. He in July 1940 issued an order to develop a plan of war with the USSR. In December 1940 this Barbarossa plan was ready. Hitler began to prepare a “blitzkrieg” against the USSR and draw troops to our border. This is a real competition ahead of the curve.
Hitler won the competition, because our General Staff, headed by G.K.Zhukov, was blindly guided by the statement of Stalin that Hitler would not dare to start a war on two fronts. But Stalin is not a military man, but a politician. G.K.Zhukov, as a strategist in office, was obliged to convince Stalin or, at least on his own initiative, to prepare measures for the defense of the country. But this did not happen, the chief of the General Staff of the Red Army did not dare to object to Stalin and only assented to him. The Red Army was completely unprepared for defense. As a result, Hitler on 22.06.41 dealt an unexpected blow to the Red Army, which was almost entirely on the move — on the march, in echelons. This blow was crushing and ultimately fatal for the USSR.
About the readiness of the Red Army for the war in June 1941
Versions of Stalin’s miscalculation in the timing of Germany’s likely attack on the USSR as the main reason for our failures are accompanied by the assertion that our troops in 1941, before the war, were not inferior to the Wehrmacht in their ability to fight, in professionalism and, if they had been put on combat alert in time, they they would have successfully repelled an attack by aggressors. Under combat readiness, they understand only the ability of troops to occupy deployment lines on alarm, missing the main component of combat readiness - the ability to successfully perform a combat mission to repel a surprise attack, a cat Roe with this ability to the army and will not be sudden.
Many consider the very fact of their defeats the main "evidence" of not putting our troops on alert before aggression, although there is no direct connection. Instead of vague allegations that the troops were not in combat readiness, it would be time to determine a concrete list of the main measures that had to be implemented to achieve the required readiness before the war. And to reveal - which of them were put into practice before the war, in time; what was not done and how it affected the outcome of the first battles.
In the years 1935-1941. The leadership of the USSR carried out a number of major measures to increase the combat readiness of the Soviet Armed Forces:
1) the transfer of the Red Army in 1935-1939. on a personnel basis;
2) the introduction of universal military duty in 1939;
3) the creation and deployment of mass production of a new generation of tanks and aircraft in 1939-1941, before the war;
4) strategic mobilization deployment of the Armed Forces in 1939-1941. from the peacetime army to the wartime army (before the war), from 98 divisions to 303 divisions;
5) the creation and concentration on the western borders in 1939-1941. cover armies unprecedented in the history of mankind in peacetime in the number of 186 divisions, taking into account 16 divisions of the second strategic echelon, who arrived in the cover army before the war;
6) preparation of the Western theater of war for war - airfields, fortified areas, roads.
In April-June 1941, with the growing threat of war, additional urgent measures were taken to increase combat readiness, including:
The call in April-May of 793 thousand reservists to replenish the troops of the western military districts almost to wartime states;
The Directive of the Chief of the General Staff of April 14 on urgent putting into combat readiness all long-term fire installations, fortified areas with the installation of weapons of field troops in them in the absence of personnel;
The hidden transfer from May 13 from the internal districts of the troops of the second strategic echelon to the western districts while bringing them into combat readiness - 7 armies of 66 divisions (16, 19, 20, 22, 24 and 28th army, 41st rifle, 21- th and 23rd mechanized corps);
Putting into combat readiness 63 divisions of reserves of the western districts and putting them out by night marches, secretly, from June 12 into the army of covering these districts (NCO Directive of 12.6.41);
Putting into combat readiness and covert withdrawal under the guise of exercises in the place of concentration of 52 divisions of the second echelon of the covering army from places of permanent deployment (Order of the NCO of 16.6.41);
The withdrawal of divisions of the first echelon of cover armies to fortified areas by telegram from the Chief of the General Staff from 10.6.41 and the Directive of the People’s Commissar of Defense from 11.6.41 - from the beginning of June;
Bringing all PribOVO and OdVO troops on alert 18-21.6.41;
Creation of command posts since April 1941 and their occupation by urgently formed front-line departments on June 18-21;
Creation of the army group of S.M. Budenny on the Dnieper line - 21.6.41;
Early release by order of NPO of May 14 from all schools and the direction of graduates in the western border districts;
NPO order No. 0367 of 12/27/40 and its repetition of 19.6.41 on the dispersal and camouflage of aircraft, etc .;
Direction Deputy. People's Commissar of Defense of the General K.A. Meretskov I.V. Stalin in ZapOVO and PribOVO to check the combat readiness of the air forces of the districts 14.6.41;
The publication of the NGO Directive and Headquarters (No. 1) on putting the troops of the western military districts into combat readiness (signed on 21.6.41 at 22.00, since S.K. Timoshenko and G.K.Zhukov left Stalin at 22.20, having received their approval of this Directive and sending it with N.F. Vatutin to the communications center of the General Staff).
Altogether, 225 of the 237 divisions of the Red Army intended for the war against Germany and its allies on defense plans were put on alert before the German attack.
Before the war, only two important measures were not implemented: general mobilization in the country and troop deployment in the foreground of fortified areas.
The strategic mobilization deployment of the Red Army before the war into the wartime army (5.4 million people), the creation of huge armies of cover, the hidden mobilization of an additional 793 thousand spare and others made it possible to carry out almost the majority of the measures provided for by general mobilization, due to which the need to conduct it before the war disappeared. Already in peacetime, all 303 divisions planned for war were formed. Everything important was done that the country should and could do to successfully repel the impending aggression, if not to address the issue of the quality of our troops in comparison with the Nazi ones. In fact, from March 1941 there was a counter strategic concentration and deployment of the German armed forces for aggression and the Red Army units - for its reflection.
In fact, now a miscalculation in the probable timing of the Germans' attacks is called quite different - Stalin’s decision, despite the obvious inevitability of German aggression in June 1941, did not declare general mobilization and did not send troops into the precincts of the fortified areas before the Germans attack, considering the events held in spring 1941 sufficient, and covering armies of 186 divisions - capable of repelling any sudden attack by Germany and its allies!
This is not a miscalculation in terms, but a conscious decision that takes into account all the pros and cons. At the same time, Stalin was mistaken in one thing - he overestimated the combat effectiveness of our troops, which looked much stronger than the Wehrmacht in the number of divisions and military equipment. It was the main and only miscalculation of Stalin (and NPO as well).
There was no miscalculation in anticipating the probable direction of the Wehrmacht’s main strike, but there was a decision by Stalin and the NPO - allowing the main strike of the Germans in Belarus, to concentrate our main forces in Ukraine, believing that 44 Soviet divisions in Belarus would be enough for a successful defense against 50 German divisions . And it is more profitable for us to strike back from Ukraine - to Krakow ... Here again, a miscalculation in the combat effectiveness of our troops, and nothing more.
The version about the defeat of our troops on the very first day of the war is nothing more than a legend. In fact, only 30 divisions of the first echelon of cover armies from the Baltic to the Carpathians from 237 divisions of the reserve border districts and the second strategic echelon were hit by the aggressor on June 22. The tragedy of the defeat of the main forces of the three special military districts (118 divisions) did not occur on June 22, but later, during the oncoming battles of June 24-30, 1941 between the new and old borders.
To prove the superiority of the Wehrmacht in the number of troops and weapons, as the reasons for our failures, the number of Soviet troops, the quantity and quality of their military equipment, and, conversely, all this is exaggerated by the Wehrmacht, have been greatly minimized for many years.
So, in fact, Germany against the USSR did not expose 4.6 million people, as is commonly believed, but 3.3 million, because in the air force, air defense and navy should be considered (like ours) only military equipment, not personnel. In total, the aggressor, therefore, had not 5.5 million people, but 4.2 million against more than 3 million people. in the western border districts and troops of the second strategic echelon.
The correlation in artillery is distorted - we take into account guns and mortars of 76 mm caliber and above (without anti-tank guns), and the Germans counted 14 thousand anti-tank guns (37 and 50 mm) and 5 thousand artillery barrels of 28 divisions of the OKH reserve. In fact, the troops of only the western border districts had 37 thousand guns and mortars, and the troops of all aggressors - no more than 31 thousand barrels.
It is not true that almost all Wehrmacht artillery was motorized. The states of the German infantry division of the first waves had 6,300 horses, of which almost half were in the artillery regiment. This means that all the artillery of the infantry divisions was horse drawn. Only artillery of anti-tank missile systems, RGKs, and tank and motorized infantry divisions was motorized.
A total of 3300 tanks and 250 self-propelled guns, and not 4-5 thousand, were thrown by the Wehrmacht against the USSR, of which 1600 were light (T-1, T-2 and T-38) and 1610 medium (T-3 and T-4). So, against 1610 German medium tanks in the western districts of the USSR, there were 160 heavy and medium tanks KB and T-34, which far exceeded the German ones in combat qualities. And against 1,600 German light tanks, there were about 9 thousand Soviet light tanks, not inferior to German ones. The result is an overwhelming superiority over the Wehrmacht in the quantity and quality of tanks. This does not include 2 thousand tanks of mechanized corps of the second strategic echelon.
Against 3,046 all German combat aircraft (1,067 fighters, 1,417 bombers and 562 reconnaissance aircraft), the Air Forces of the western districts, fleets and long-range bomber aircraft had 9917 combat aircraft, including in the districts 7133, 1339 in the DBA and 1445 in the fleets.
The Soviet Air Force did not accept aircraft of new types from factories, not 2739, as they say, but 3719, because Among the new ones, aircraft of the 1939-40 model must also be taken into account. DB-ZF, Ar-2, Su-2, Tu-2, Yak-4, Pe-8, BB-2, of which there were more than a thousand. This means that our Air Force could and should have had against the Germans in June 1941 not 1540 new types of planes, as they now think, but more than 3 thousand. Of all 3046 combat aircraft, the Wehrmacht had less than 2 thousand new ones, if we exclude outdated Yu planes -87, Xe-111, Do-217, etc.
As of 22.6.41, our rifle divisions of the western border districts had not an average of 8-9 thousand, how long they believed, and 12 360 (with a staff of 14 483) - 20 divisions each had 14 thousand people, 70 - 12 thousand each and 6 to 11 thousand. The data cited sometimes as of June 1, 1941 do not take into account the income of 500 thousand people from these additional divisions in these divisions in June 1941.
Of those dismissed as a result of the repressions of 1937-38. 38 thousand commanders and political workers 12 thousand returned to the army in 1939-40, 9 thousand were dismissed for political reasons (natural decline), and about 17 thousand people were expelled from the army for political reasons - unreasonably and illegally. Of these, about 9.5 thousand were arrested.
The opinion that the repressed high commanders were the best and the worst remained in the army is unproven. The best of the repressed (MN Tukhachevsky and others) are often compared in print with the worst of the rest. The question has not been investigated - what experience of the modern war (except the Civil War) could have been obtained by our top command of the 30s (including the repressed), serving from the end of the Civil War until 1937 in our small, backward then territorial-personnel army, of which there were two dozen personnel divisions (26%) in twenty military districts (in the inner districts there were none at all), army administrations did not exist from 1920 to 1939, large-scale maneuvers began only in 1935-37. etc. No wonder 120 of our military commanders traveled to Germany to study military affairs in the 1920s and 1930s.
And the ideas associated with the name of Tukhachevsky were not rejected, as they say, they were not always justifiably introduced into the army before the war, reflected in the charters. In particular:
The idea of \u200b\u200ba “retaliatory strike” became the core of the plan of war instead of the idea of \u200b\u200bstrategic defense more suitable for our army;
Theories of deep combat and operations overshadowed for our army issues of defense, maneuver warfare, counter operations, etc .;
The idea of \u200b\u200bcreating cover armies was implemented on a large scale, which saved us in 1941.
The consequences of the repression of 1937-1938 against the command staff were partially overcome by the summer of 1941, so they can not be attributed to the main reasons for the failure of our army at the beginning of the war.
The trouble is that the Red Army never managed to become a cadre either in 1936, or by 1939, or by June 1941. Since 1935, it has been developing extensively, increasing by 5 times - but all to the detriment of quality, especially the officer’s and sergeant formations.
The Soviet military leadership, preparing for a war with Germany, intensely sought by 1941 a quantitative superiority over the Wehrmacht, especially in tanks and aircraft, but it remained a mystery to the multiple lag of the Red Army from the German as troops, headquarters, and command personnel of all degrees, especially the younger .
The troops were poorly trained in the methods of modern warfare, poorly knit together, not organized enough. At a low level were radio communications, control, interaction, intelligence, tactics ...
The transition of the army on a personnel basis, an increase in its number by 5 times in 1939 and the reorganization of 1940-1941. exacerbated the shortage of command personnel and worsened its quality. The real main reason for the defeat of our troops in the summer of 1941 was the unwillingness of the Red Army to wage a modern maneuver war with the enemy, who had rich experience in it and excellent preparation for just such a fleeting war. Our Armed Forces did not know how to realize the enormous technical and human potential that surpassed the potential of the aggressors by the beginning of the war. The reason for this lag of our army is a complete failure in 1930-37. advance training of command personnel of the technical link for the multiple increase (deployment) of the Armed Forces before the war. Hasty, emergency measures of 1939-41, and especially in the spring of 1941, could not rectify this situation.
Military Herald (APN). 1992. No. 9. S. 3-8.
http://www.hrono.info/statii/filipp_rkka.html
