Why did World War II become inevitable?
Suvorov claims that Stalin unleashed the Second World War. How did the "Kremlin highlander" manage to do this? This is a rather rare case! - Suvorov condescends to explanations. It turns out that "the Stalinist plan is simple: to force France and Britain to declare war on Germany ... or to provoke Germany to such actions that will force France and Britain to declare war on Germany ... Delegations of France and Britain [at the Moscow talks in the summer of 1939], wanting to prove the seriousness of their intentions , informed the Soviet side of information of extreme importance: if Germany attacked Poland, Britain and France would declare war on Germany. This was the information that Stalin was waiting for. Hitler believed that the attack on Poland would pass with impunity, like the capture of Czechoslovakia. And Stalin now knew, that Hitler would be punished for this. So the key to the outbreak of World War II fell on Stalin's table. Stalin had only to give the green light to Hitler: attack Poland, I will not interfere with you ... (Viktor Suvorov, "Day" M ", chapter" Prologue on Khalkhin Gol ").
Suvorov uses his favorite method here too - blatant lies. As Comrade Stalin used to say in such cases - "It was not like that. It was not like that."
Soon after Munich, the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Maxim Litvinov received the French ambassador Coulondre. Litvinov, in particular, said: "We consider what happened as a catastrophe for the whole world. One of two things: either England and France will continue to satisfy all the demands of Hitler and the latter will gain dominance over all of Europe, over the colonies, and he will calm down for a while, in order to digest what has been swallowed, or England and France will realize the danger and will begin to look for ways to resist further Hitler's dynamism. In this case, they will inevitably turn to us and speak to us in a different language. " (Record of a conversation between the USSR People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs MM Litvinov and the French Ambassador to the USSR R. Coulondrom. October 16, 1938, "Documents and Materials on the Eve of World War II", vol. 1, p. 248).
The forecast of the People's Commissar turned out to be not correct in everything and did not begin to come true right away. At first, the British and French were quite satisfied with their remarkable diplomatic victory. Well, maybe only French Prime Minister Daladier was a little jealous of Hitler for Chamberlain. After all, the British Prime Minister there, at the Munich conference, managed, together with the German Fuhrer, to sign an Anglo-German declaration that from now on they would resolve all issues without war and certainly through consultations. However, the French did not suffer for long. In December, Ribbentrop arrived in Paris and, to everyone's joy, waved a similar Franco-German declaration.
It's not that Hitler didn't bother Chamberlain and Daladier at all. But for a completely incomprehensible reason, the leaders of the Western countries were confident (or hoped?) That Hitler's further expansion would unfold in the direction of the USSR. For some time, discussions about the Transcarpathian Ukraine became incredibly popular. Charge d'Affaires of the USSR in Germany G. Astakhov in December reported to the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs: "According to the correspondents of The Times and the New York Herald Tribune, the topic of Ukraine is now one of the most fashionable in Berlin." ("The year of the crisis 1938-1939". Documents and materials. Vol. 1., P. 144.) to try to create, if possible, with the help of Poland, which will be offered a kind of condominium, something like the European Manchukuo, placed in a more or less close vassal relationship. " (Ibid, p. 137).
Absolutely not wondering about the degree of feasibility of the "Carpathian-Ukrainian" plans (at least from the point of view of geography!), Quite the officials persistently developed this topic in conversations with Soviet diplomats. For example, Sir Horatio Wilson, the chief adviser to the British government on industrial issues (and Chamberlain's trusted political adviser), told the somewhat dumbfounded Soviet envoy Ivan Maisky: Ukraine has a large separatist movement and play this card in about the same spirit as the Czechoslovak card was played. Again the slogan of "self-determination" will be used. In this way, Hitler expects to get Ukraine without a big war. " (Ibid, pp. 119–120).
Maisky, of course, ridiculed Sir Horatio. Let us ask ourselves, however, the question what should have been thought in Moscow about such reasoning of Western diplomats? The conclusion was obvious - there is a large-scale provocation of England and France, which, without taking on any obligations, want to drag the USSR into a conflict with Germany. It was with this assessment of the "Ukrainian theme" that Stalin spoke on March 10, 1939. He spoke from the highest rostrum, giving this topic a few words in the Report of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) to the XVIII Congress. Stalin, in particular, said: “The noise raised by the Anglo-French and North American press about Soviet Ukraine is characteristic. The workers of this press shouted hoarsely that the Germans were going to Soviet Ukraine, that they now had in their hands the so-called Carpathian Ukraine , with a population of about 700 thousand, that the Germans will annex Soviet Ukraine, which has more than 30 million inhabitants, to the so-called Carpathian Ukraine as soon as this spring. atmosphere and provoke a conflict with Germany for no apparent reason ... "(Ibid., pp. 261-262.)
The paradox is that Stalin was not quite right. Now, after studying the documents, it becomes clear that, firstly, Hitler really considered various plans related to the Transcarpathian Ukraine - first of all, with a view to gaining leverage on Poland (Polish politicians were terribly afraid of creating an "independent" Transcarpathian Ukraine , knowing that this would cause unrest in the Ukrainian regions occupied by Poland). And, secondly, it becomes quite obvious that Western politicians so passionately desired the emergence of a Soviet-German conflict that they diligently deceived themselves. The telegram from the British Ambassador to Germany Henderson to the British Foreign Secretary Halifax is highly characteristic. Sir Neville Henderson wrote to Lord Halifax: “As far as Ukraine is concerned, although I consider the idea of conquest incredible, it seems to me, nevertheless, inevitable that Germany will show a desire to try to tear this rich country away from the vast state, which it considers its main enemy. In its own interests, it would naturally prefer Ukraine to be independent and serve as a buffer state between it and this enemy, and it is clear that it would like to enjoy the predominant economic and political influence there. intrigues to such an extent, and it seems to me that the less we take sides in this conflict, the better ... Hitler pointed out in Mein Kampf it is quite clear that the "living space" for Germany can be found only in the expansion to East, and expansion to the East means that sooner or later a clash between Germany and Russia is very likely. " (Documents on British Foreign Policy ... Third series. Vol. IV. P. 213-217., Quoted from "Year of the crisis 1938-1939". Documents and materials. Vol. 1., pp. 257-258).
The most remarkable thing in this telegram is not the naive hopes of the British diplomat for a "clash between Germany and Russia", but the date (March 9, 1939) and the postscript: academic interest ".
Indeed, before Sir Neville had time to send his wise analysis to the British Foreign Office, the Slovak separatists, funded and led by Berlin, began to portray something like "riots." They portrayed, however, not very convincingly. As noted by Coulondre, who had by that time been transferred to the post of French ambassador to Germany, “if we exclude Bratislava, where the riots were kindled by the German self-defense service and the Glinka guards who received weapons from Germany, the order was in no way violated either in Slovakia, or in Bohemia, or For example, the English consul in a report to his envoy in Prague stated that in Brunn, where, according to the German press, German blood flowed like a river, absolute calm reigned. " (Letter from Coulondre to French Foreign Minister J. Bonnet., "The Year of the Crisis 1938-1939". Documents and materials. Vol. 1., p. 284). Nevertheless: “Beginning on March 12 [March], the tone of the Berlin press became even more frantic ... Within 24 hours, the emphasis shifted. allegedly Czechoslovak Germans (immigrants from the Reich) or representatives of an ethnic minority became. terrible danger. " (Ibid, p. 284).
When urgent reports of the Czechoslovak events arrived in London, Prime Minister Chamberlain said in a speech in parliament: “The occupation of Bohemia [Czech Republic] by the German armed forces began today at six o'clock in the morning ... The Slovak parliament declared Slovakia independent. This declaration puts an end to the internal disintegration of the state. the boundaries of which we intended to guarantee, and his Majesty's government cannot therefore consider itself bound by this obligation. " The British prime minister has officially declared invalid the very guarantee with which he justified the Munich agreement. And that's all. Chamberlain considered this topic exhausted. Churchill's testimony: "Chamberlain was due to perform in Birmingham two days later ... Having received vigorous views on the views of the House, the public and the Dominions, he put aside a long-written speech on domestic affairs and social services and took the bull by the horns ..." We are now told that this seizure of territory was dictated by the riots in Czechoslovakia ... If there were riots, weren't they inspired from the outside? .. "(Winston Churchill, World War II, vol. 1, pp. 160-161).
In other words, it was not at all fulfilling the duty of the guarantor of the territorial integrity of Czechoslovakia and not realizing the real and imminent danger of Hitler's aggression, but only public opinion, outraged by the tragic results of the protracted policy of "appeasement", forced Neville Chamberlain to resolutely condemn the occupation of Czechoslovakia and think about how to put an end to Hitler's invasion ? The fact that Chamberlain's anger was calculated mainly on the public is evidenced by the calmness with which the British (and French, of course) leaders reacted to another small seizure of Hitler that followed just a few days later. On March 20, the German government issued an ultimatum demanded that Lithuania hand over the Memel region (Klaipeda region) to Germany. Memel's status as an integral part of Lithuania was enshrined in the 1924 Klaipeda Convention. Britain and France were guarantors of the convention, but there was no reaction from them. More precisely, there was no reaction to repulse the aggressor. As the USSR Charge d'Affaires in Lithuania N. Pozdnyakov reported, in a private conversation the head of the Lithuanian cabinet told him that the British ambassador "was openly indignant when the Lithuanian government hinted at resistance in Klaipeda." ("The year of the crisis 1938-1939". Documents and materials. Vol. 1, p. 319).
At that time, the British representative was in Moscow - the Minister for Overseas Trade of Great Britain R. Hudson. Hudson's mission was twofold: on the one hand, he conducted trade negotiations with the People's Commissar for Foreign Trade Mikoyan, and on the other, he probed the ground for joint actions to curb Hitler. In a conversation with Maxim Litvinov, Hudson said that "he came with an" open mind "and is ready to listen to how we [the USSR] think about cooperation and what ways we propose for this." (Record of the conversation between the USSR People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs M. M. Litvinov and the Minister for Overseas Trade of Great Britain R. Hudson, "The Year of the Crisis 1938-1939". Vol. 1, p. 319). "There will be no second Munich," the British minister assured. It was on March 23 - the very day when, having lost any support and assistance from the Anglo-British "guarantors", the Lithuanian government was forced to capitulate. On the same day Hitler entered the Memel port aboard the battleship Deutschland.
All that happened very little contributed to the serious attitude of the Soviet government to the beginning of the "new era" of British diplomacy - attempts to stop the gangrene of Hitlerism with the help of the collective security system.
And yet, the "new era" did indeed begin. Even Chamberlain finally realized that Hitler took the theoretical constructions of his Mein Kampf very seriously. And there it is very clearly formulated that, before embarking on the development of "living space" in the East, it is necessary first to destroy France and deprive England of all influence on the continent. After the capture of Czechoslovakia, understanding came to many Western politicians and diplomats. On March 19, 1939, the French ambassador to Germany Coulondre wrote to his minister about this. "However, Coulondre said melancholy, - the concept of the author of Mein Kampf is identical to the classical doctrine of the German General Staff." ("The year of the crisis 1938-1939". Documents and materials. P. 301).
In a word, as the Soviet People's Commissar Litvinov had suggested, the leaders of England and France had only two choices. The first to sacrifice their countries and peoples of their countries to Hitler in pursuance of the theoretical doctrines of "Mein Kampf" and the strategic developments of the German General Staff. The second is to resist the aggressor. At least try. However, there was very little time left for the maneuver. Hitler was deeply convinced that the age of his precious persona was the determining factor in hostilities, and therefore was in a great hurry. Chamberlain also had to hurry. On March 31, 1939, the Prime Minister made a statement in the House of Commons that Great Britain was providing guarantees to Poland. On April 13, British guarantees were announced to Greece and Romania, as well as French ones - to Greece, Romania and Poland.
Suvorov claims: at the Moscow talks, the representatives of France and England provided Comrade Stalin with "information of extreme importance." And he clarifies which ones: "if Germany attacks Poland, Britain and France will declare war on Germany." This is an unprecedented discovery! Well, just "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion"! It is very strange that Mr. Suvorov, this "great dissident" in the class of military history, for some reason does not know that this very "information of extreme importance" was announced loudly from the rostrum of the British Parliament! The whole world knew about the English and French guarantees to Poland! And Comrade Stalin knew, and Hitler. Even when Hitler learned about the announcement of the guarantee, he was terribly upset. According to Admiral Canaris, Hitler rushed about the room, banging his fists on the marble table top, his face twisted with anger, he constantly shouted threats to the British: "I will cook them such a roast that they will choke!" (William Shearer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, vol. 1, p. 502).
The problem was that Stalin (and Hitler too) reacted to the Anglo-French guarantee with great distrust. There were good reasons for that. And not only "Munich and many other things," as Churchill delicately put it. There was also “a lot” after “Munich”. So, for example, at the end of July 1939, a terrible scandal erupted in England. It turned out that from July 18 to July 21, in the midst of the Moscow negotiations, other negotiations were going on in London - unofficial, but very intensive. They discussed no less than the delimitation of the spheres of interests of Germany and the British Empire. Negotiations were conducted by K. Wohltat, an employee of the German department for the implementation of the four-year plan, and very significant persons in British politics - Chamberlain's trusted adviser Wilson and Minister of Foreign Trade Hudson. Yes, yes, with the same Hudson, who had been in Moscow four months before and so solemnly declared to Litvinov: "There will be no second Munich!" Moreover, the initiative for the negotiations came precisely from the British. Horace Wilson even had a draft agreement prepared, the purpose of which, as Sir Horace explained, is "the broadest Anglo-German agreement on all important issues." At the same time, "Wilson definitely told Mr. Wohltat that the conclusion of a non-aggression pact would give England the opportunity to free itself from obligations with respect to Poland," the German ambassador Dirksen reported to Berlin. Maybe all these negotiations were independently started by "individual British politicians" at their own peril and risk? In no case. Dirksen elaborates: “Sir Horace Wilson made it quite clear that Chamberlain approved of this program; Wilson suggested that Woltat talk with Chamberlain immediately so that Woltat would receive confirmation from Wilson. myself such a conversation with Chamberlain. " (Note by the German Ambassador to Great Britain G. Dirksen, July 24, 1939, quoted from "The Year of the Crisis 1938-1939". Documents and Materials, vol. 2, pp. 113-117).
Woltat's talks with Hudson and Wilson were cut short as confidentiality was breached (reporters dug up and published). The scandal was huge. But besides the "unofficial" negotiations, the British diplomats were also quite open. On July 24, 1939, a joint statement by the governments of Great Britain and Japan (the "Arita-Craigie Agreement") was officially promulgated. In this document, the British government announced that the Japanese troops invading China "have special needs in order to ensure their own security and maintain public order in the areas under their control." (Documents on British Foreign Policy ... Third Series, vol. IX, p. 313, quoted in "Year of Crisis 1938-1939"., Vol. 2, p. 122). Paying tribute to the specific English humor (Japanese troops must be in China to ensure their own security), it should be noted that this was the same "Munich" policy, only not in Europe, but in the Far East. And this happened at a time when the British representatives were conducting tense negotiations with the USSR, which, true to its allied duty, fought with Japanese troops in Mongolia!
Stalin's doubts that the British and the French (who actually subordinated their diplomacy to the British) really did intend to provide an effective rebuff to the aggressor. And Hitler, having been scared at first, on the same grounds believed that they would not fight. Later, a week before the attack on Poland, Hitler did not believe either the British Prime Minister Chamberlain (who warned him in an official message that in the event of aggression, England would be forced to "use without delay all the forces at its disposal"), nor the French ambassador Coulondre. who assured the Fuehrer with his word of honor as an old soldier that "in the event of an attack on Poland, France will be on the side of Poland with all her forces." (Message from the Prime Minister of Great Britain N. Chamberlain to the Reich Chancellor of Germany A. Hitler, quoted in "The Year of Crisis 1938-1939"., Vol. 2, pp. 313–314; William Shearer, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", vol. 1, p. 582).
Hitler did not believe any official declarations, or Chamberlain's personal message, or Coulondre's word of honor. Asking the question - "How did it happen that Hitler got involved in the" big war "that he wanted to avoid?" ) answers very clearly: “The answer is to be found in the support that the Western powers gave him [Hitler] for so long with their compliant position, and in their unexpected“ turn ”in the spring of 1939. The“ turn ”was so sharp and unexpected that the war became inevitable. " (Basil Liddell Garth, World War II, p. 21).
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When the war (World War II) began for the USSR, hostilities on the world stage continued for about two years. This is the bloodiest event of the twentieth century, which will remain in the memory of all people.
World War II: when it began and why
Two concepts should not be confused: which designates this phenomenon in the USSR, and "World War II", which designates the entire theater of military operations as a whole. The first of them began on the famous day - 22. VI. 1941, when German troops, without any warning or announcement of their invasions, dealt a crushing blow to the most important strategic targets of the Soviet Union. It is worth noting that at that moment the non-aggression pact between the two states was in force for only two years, and most of the inhabitants of both countries were confident in its effectiveness. However, the leader of the USSR, Stalin, guessed that the war was not far off, but consoled himself with the thought of the strength of the two-year treaty. Why did World War II start? On that fateful day - 1. IX. 1939 - Nazi troops also invaded Poland without any warning, which led to the beginning of terrible events that lasted for 6 years.
Causes and prerequisites
After the defeat in the First World War, Germany temporarily lost its power, but after a few years it regained its former strength. What were the main reasons for the unleashed conflict? Firstly, this is Hitler's desire to subjugate the whole world, to eradicate certain nationalities and to make the strongest state on the planet. Second, the restoration of Germany's former authority. Third, the elimination of any manifestations of the Versailles system. Fourth, the establishment of new spheres of influence and the division of the world. All this led to the height of hostilities in different parts of the planet. What were the goals pursued by the USSR and its allies? First of all, it is the fight against fascism and German aggression. Also to this point can be added the circumstance that he fought with a violent change in the delimitation of spheres of influence. That is why we can conclude: when the war (World War II) began, it became a war of social systems and their manifestations. Fascism, communism and democracy fought among themselves.
Consequences for the whole world
What did the bloody clashes lead to? When the war (World War II) began, no one could have imagined that everything would drag on for such a period of time: Germany was confident in its lightning-fast plan, the USSR and its allies in their strength. But how did it end? The war took away a huge number of people: there were losses in almost every family. The economies of all countries, as well as the demographic situation, suffered enormous damage. But there are also positive aspects: after all, the fascist system was destroyed.
Thus, when the war (World War II) began for the whole world, few were able to immediately appreciate its strength. These bloody events will forever remain in the memory of every person and in the history of many states, whose citizens fought against the terror and aggression of the fascists.
Blitzkrieg rolled west
As we have already said, the Battle of Kursk was not only the last attempt by Germany to wrest the strategic initiative from the Red Army. It became a turning point in the war in the sense that after it the Wehrmacht finally lost the ability to successfully operate on a strategic scale. If earlier he could at least conduct major defensive operations such as the Rzhevsko-Vyazemskaya, then by 1944 local actions of an operational scale became the ultimate dreams of the panzer generals. Yes, the German divisions could still successfully hold the city of N for a week or two. Yes, during the counterattack, they could still push the Soviet troops back 20-30 kilometers. But no more! The Germans could no longer hold the same city N for two more months, unless the Red Army, for strategic reasons, would shift the weight of the blow to another sector of the front. And the Germans did not manage to push back the Soviet troops 50 kilometers until the very end of the war. A reasonable question may arise: why did the struggle drag on for so long? The first obvious answer: the Wehrmacht was too huge a structure, and the usual inertial force inherent in such a large mass worked. It is simply impossible to stop it in one moment. The second, no less important, reason was that the Soviet command had not yet fully mastered the changed situation and had not yet learned to act as a complete master of the situation. The lessons of 1941-1942 were also remembered, the education of the victorious instinct is a long and painful process. But when it appears, then the resistance of this army becomes useless, which was proved by the Red Army in 1945. But in 1944, things were a little different. We will consider only three operations that can be considered the most indicative in terms of compliance with the ideas of the big and small blitzkrieg.
The first chronologically was the Korsun-Shevchenko operation, by the way, the most controversial in terms of results. However, if you remember how General Vatutin commanded during the Battle of Kursk, this is not particularly surprising.
The general strategic situation by January 1944 had developed in such a way that the so-called Kanev ledge was formed on the southern sector of the front. The Germans stubbornly clung to the Dnieper coast in the Kanev region, although by this time the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front had bypassed them far from the west. There were 11 German divisions on the ledge, and their position inspired serious concern, but Hitler was not going to withdraw them. It's not even about the propaganda slogan “German chefs continue to draw water from the Dnieper”. There were also some military considerations. Manstein, of course, blames the Fuehrer for everything. But it seems that OKH, having lost a sense of reality, still dreamed of a possible strike on the flank of the 1st Ukrainian in the direction of Bila Tserkva, although the Germans no longer had the strength for this.
An interesting feature of this operation is that the Soviet command decided to start it without a serious superiority in forces. The troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts had a total of about 250,000 men, 5,300 guns and 670 tanks against 170,000 people, 2,600 guns and 250 tanks of the Germans. However, not far from the area of the intended boiler, the Germans had several tank divisions in reserve with about 600 tanks.
The 2nd Ukrainian Front launched an offensive on January 24, and on the very first day, the tactical defense of the Germans was almost broken. But General Konev acted too sluggishly and did not take advantage of the favorable situation. Only the next day, the 5th Guards Tank Army of General Rotmistrov was brought into battle, which broke through the German positions. But the delay affected, as the enemy pulled up reserves and managed to slow down the offensive. Moreover, our 20th and 29th Panzer Corps themselves were cut off. And then the front commander, General Konev, showed that we had already learned not to be afraid of the Germans. He makes a decision that was completely unthinkable just a year ago. The 20th Corps continues to advance towards the units of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the 29th Corps defenders with a front to the south, and the reserve units cut through the thin German arm. And so it happened! On January 28, tanks of the 20th corps in the village of Zvenigorodka met with the vanguard of the 6th Panzer Army. And the German barriers in the offensive zone were overturned and destroyed, the formation of the external and internal fronts of the encirclement began.
Korsun-Shevchenko operation.
The offensive of the 1st Ukrainian Front began two days later and did not go so smoothly at first. Heavy fighting ensued in the intended section of the breakthrough, and progress was minimal. The front commander, General Vatutin, had to shift the point of application of forces, but in the end, after the 6th Panzer Army entered the battle, the Germans' defense was broken through here as well. But after the breakthrough, the offensive went on without hindrance, and before the meeting with Konev's 20th Panzer Corps, no problems arose.
So, before us is a kind of classic blitzkrieg operation. A breakthrough of the front, large enemy forces are surrounded, tank units enter the operational space, a period of development of success begins ... But no! That's what Guderian would have done. This is what Manstein would have done. But the Soviet generals did not do that. Not so yet. Yes, one reason was literally on the surface. Tank divisions suffered losses during the offensive, in addition, muddy roads began, and not only cars, but even tanks were stuck in the mud. But, most likely, the very absence of a victorious instinct affected, which already prevented us from building on the success of the breakthrough at Stalingrad and destroying German troops in the North Caucasus. In the same way, now, after all, one should have tried to strike further. Indeed, in front of the combined forces of the two fronts, an excellent prospect appeared to cut off the entire Nikopol grouping, moreover, all the German forces west of the Dnieper.
Apparently, the second time, when the success of the operation exceeded all expectations, the Soviet command was confused and did not show flexibility, reacting in accordance with the changed situation. On the other hand, if you look at the forces involved, it becomes clear that large tasks for the advancing armies were not initially set. Defeating an entire army group with 700 tanks is more than difficult.
In addition, a mistake was made that was completely unusual for the Germans. Before the start of the breakthrough, significant forces were again used to "pin down" the enemy. Oh, this shackling! It becomes the real scourge of Soviet offensives, diverting from a quarter to a third of the forces that could be used to develop success. The point is that even if - even if! - the Germans decided to try to transfer troops from unattacked sectors of the front to the battle area, this would take time. And the Soviet divisions would have been there from the very first day.
In general, the Korsun blitzkrieg lasted exactly 4 days, after which the destruction of the encircled group began. The group was not going to capitulate or die, and the soldiers of General Stemmerman offered fierce resistance. The ultimatum presented by the Soviet command was rejected. By the way, we will note again - it is these attempts to fight to the end that call into question the key idea of the blitzkrieg - the increase in the pace of operations. At the same time, the German command began to prepare a deblocking strike. Manstein was again appointed the Savior of the Fatherland on the scale of the 8th Army.
As always, Soviet historians draw on the familiar song about the superiority of the Germans in forces, especially in tanks. “As part of some German tank divisions (mainly in SS divisions) there were heavy tank battalions of Tiger tanks and Ferdinand's assault guns. Tanks "tiger" were also in service with the 503rd and 506th separate tank battalions ", - writes A.N. Grylev. And all Manstein collected about 1000 tanks, despite the fact that on the outer ring of the encirclement they were opposed by only 307 Soviet ones. To be honest, these stories about the ubiquitous "Ferdinands" are stuck in my teeth. And in general, what would have been the result of a blow of 1000 German tanks, it is not difficult to imagine.
First, the Germans tried to break through the encirclement in the zone of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, because the distance to the so-called Gorodishchensky ledge was minimal here. But the successes of the four tank divisions, which managed to advance only 5 kilometers, were also minimal. Stemmerman, meanwhile, was pulling his troops to Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, gradually reducing the line of defense and preparing for a breakthrough towards the unblocking groupings.
As a result, the main efforts were shifted to the zone of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Here the tank division "Leibstandarte" appeared, which spoiled so much blood for our soldiers near Kursk. The commander of the 1st Panzer Army, General Hube, sent an optimistic radiogram to those surrounded with an appeal to hold on and a firm promise to help them out. He did concentrate three panzer divisions with the support of two Tiger battalions, and on February 4 went over to the offensive. On February 6, another tank division arrived at his disposal. To fend off a German attack, Vatutin brought into battle the 2nd Panzer Army, which was still in reserve. Here a reasonable question immediately arises: why was it not previously used to develop success? The German offensive was temporarily halted, and they took a break to regroup their forces.
On the morning of February 11, Hube's strike group (III Panzer Corps) again went on the offensive in the direction of Rizino - Lysyanka. At the same time, the surrounded Stemmerman's troops tried to strike towards them from the Steblev area. After fierce battles, they managed to break through to Shenderovka, and the distance to the vanguards of Hube was only about 10 kilometers. But these kilometers still had to go. Some of the modern Russian historians are trying to justify the blatant clumsiness of Vatutin's actions by the fact that the Germans were supposedly trying to break through at the junction of two fronts. Enough for you! Well look at the maps that you publish in your own books! All events took place in the zone of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the junction of the fronts was located several tens of kilometers to the east.
And yet, the situation was really confusing, and the Soviet command confused it. The outer ring of the encirclement was held by the Vatutin front, and the inner one - by the Konev front. And it was really difficult to coordinate their actions, although there was a special representative of the Headquarters who was supposed to deal with this. Who? That's right, Marshal Zhukov. It only ended with the fact that "Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov, who coordinated the actions of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts, was unable to organize a clear interaction of the troops repelling the enemy's onslaught, and was recalled by the Headquarters to Moscow."
In general, the situation was strange - both sides were dissatisfied. The Germans did not manage to break through, the Red Army could not destroy the boiler in any way, although by February 16 it was reduced to a scanty size. The headquarters of the German 8th Army radioed Stemmermann that the offensive of the III Panzer Corps had failed and that he himself must break through to meet it. Stemmermann chose to remain with the rearguard to cover the breakthrough, which was commanded by Lieutenant General Theobald Lieb. By this time, the boiler had literally reduced to a patch of 5 kilometers in diameter around Shenderovka. The breakthrough required Hitler's permission, but Manstein realized that delaying death was like, and sent a short telegram to Stemmermann: “Stichwort Freiheit. Zielort Lysyanka. 23.00 "-" Password "Freedom". Lysianka's goal ".
And at 23.00 the Germans went to the breakthrough in three columns with bayonets attached at the ready. After a fierce hand-to-hand fight, some of them managed to break through. However, the left column ran into the tanks of the 5th Guards Tank and was practically destroyed. It was dawn, but the fighting was still going on. Konev, realizing that there was a danger of missing the Germans, threw into the attack a brigade of the 20th Panzer Corps, armed with new IS-2 tanks. Having discovered that the Germans did not have anti-tank artillery, the tanks simply crushed carts and vehicles with tracks.
By noon, the disorganized crowd reached the Rotten Tikich River. The crossing was very reminiscent of everything that happened on the Berezina in 1812, and no statements by German historians will make me believe in "organization and order." Moreover, the German officers themselves admit in their memoirs: for the first time among German soldiers, signs of Kesselfurcht appear. The photographs of the battlefield clearly prove that there was no trace of order or organization.
The commander of the SS Panzer Division "Viking" Gille crossed the river by swimming, although later in his memoirs, Marshal Konev wrote: “General Gille, apparently, took off by plane before the start of the battle, or climbed through the front line, dressed in civilian clothes. I rule out that he would break through on a tank or transporter through our positions and strong points "... Thank God, the "woman's dress" did not appear, although no one really got through on the tank.
The outcome of the battle was unsatisfactory for both sides. The excellent start of the Soviet blitzkrieg was stopped by its own command, which made it possible to save part of the surrounded group, although Soviet historiography for a long time insisted on the complete destruction of the troops that got into the cauldron. At the same time, the encircled divisions ceased to exist as combat units, they needed to be formed anew. The Germans stubbornly insist that 35,000 people broke through out of 60,000 who were surrounded, but this raises the most serious doubts. Most likely, as is usually the case in such dubious episodes, the truth is somewhere in between.
The next operation, which, by the way, deserves special attention, is Operation Bagration. From my point of view, which everyone is free to challenge, this is the most brilliant operation of the Red Army for the entire period of the Great Patriotic War. Only Guderian's breakthrough at Sedan and Rommel's strike at Gazala can be compared in its perfection with it. But the scale of these operations is many times smaller, and, as we remember very well, the complexity of command and control increases in proportion to the square of the number, so the achievements of General Rokossovsky deserve much higher ratings than the actions of the panzer generals. Especially when you consider the tenacity and experience of the enemy who opposed him.
The plan of the operation, which provided for the simultaneous defeat of two enemy groups holding the "Belarusian balcony", belonged to General Rokossovsky. Zhukov claimed that the plan had been prepared in Moscow even before the meeting, which was attended by representatives of the General Headquarters and front commanders. This is absolutely true. But it is also true that the developments of Rokossovsky's headquarters were sent to Moscow even earlier. This is confirmed by an absolutely disinterested witness - S.M. Shtemenko. By the way, one curious episode is connected with the book of his memoirs "The General Staff in the War Years".
A certain now popular historian decided to sparkle with wit and ridicule one of the proposals of the General Staff. The proposal was really not the most reasonable one. But the method he chose is even worse - the fragmentary quotation so beloved by the Soviet historical school. Compare yourself:
"The idiocy of this" new idea "was so obvious that, as Shtemenko recalls," we were corrected. " We decided - to surround, where to go here. " This is what Mr. N writes in his work Ten Stalinist Strikes. Now let's see what Shtemenko actually said: “During these two days, the goal of the Belarusian operation was finally formulated - to encircle and destroy large forces of Army Group Center in the Minsk region. The General Staff, as already noted, did not want to use the word "encirclement", but we were corrected. The encirclement was to be preceded by the simultaneous defeat of the enemy's flank groupings - Vitebsk and Bobruisk, as well as his forces concentrated near Mogilev. This immediately opened the way to the capital of Belarus in converging directions "... Do you feel the difference? Moreover, this paragraph is already on a completely different page of the memoirs and is dedicated to a different episode. But - two words have been snatched out, and the broth is ready. No, beware of short quotes!
Operation Bagration.
The operation began on June 22, 1944. Probably, there is some kind of higher justice in this - exactly 3 years after the start of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army began its most brilliant operation. The offensive was carried out on a wide front, but the main blows were delivered in the regions of Vitebsk and Bobruisk. The grace of Rokossovsky's plan was that one gigantic super-boiler was not planned, formed by converging strikes on Minsk, after which one would have to fiddle with the destruction of two or three armies, although, most likely, they could be surrounded. No, small cauldrons were planned with the rapid destruction of the surrounded small groups. The ill-fated example of Stalingrad was still fresh in the memory.
First, the German defenses crackled near Vitebsk in the offensive zone of the 3rd Belorussian Front. On the very first day of the offensive, the 6th Guards Army broke through the defenses and expanded the penetration to 50 kilometers. There was a gap between the IX and LIII corps. The commander of the 3rd Panzer Army, General Reinhardt, requested permission to withdraw. But here in many respects the Red Army was helped, oddly enough, by Adolf Hitler. By this time, he had lost all sense of reality and was engaged in large-scale construction of sand castles. Many cities and towns scattered across the Eastern Front were declared "fortresses", although in reality they were several primitive field fortifications, hastily built on the outskirts of settlements. The subdivisions of these "fortresses" were ordered not to retreat and to fight to the last bullet. On March 8, 1944, Hitler clarified his definition of a fortress when he issued Order No. 11:
A distinction will be made between 'fortified areas' (Feste Platze), each of which will be under the command of a 'fortified area', and 'local strongholds' (Ortzstutzpunkte), under the command of the battle commandant.
"Fortified areas" will act as fortresses ... They will prevent the enemy from occupying areas that are of decisive tactical importance. They will allow the enemy to surround themselves, thus holding down the greatest amount of his forces and creating conditions favorable for successful counterattacks.
“Local strongholds” are strongholds located deep in a war zone that would be strongly defended in the event of an enemy penetration. Being included in the main scheme of hostilities, they will serve as a reserve of defense, and in the event of a breakthrough by the enemy - the cornerstone of the front, forming positions from which it will be possible to carry out counterattacks. "
This directive clarified the powers of the commandants of the fortified areas and placed them directly under the command of the commander of the corresponding army group. Every person in the fortified area, regardless of military rank or civil status, was subordinate to the commandant. The garrison was supposed to be constantly in the fortified area and prepare defensive structures. Hitler, as a rule, so late announced that the area had been fortified that there was no time to build any significant fortifications before the arrival of Soviet troops. He ordered the garrison to appear at the commandant's disposal when there was only enough time to take up positions. According to Hitler's definition, it is difficult to distinguish between a fortified area and a fortress, except for the moment when the fortified areas were mainly on the Eastern Front and, as a rule, did not have fortifications. In general, the Fuhrer personally drove his troops into the cauldrons, which was especially evident during Operation Bagration.
Hitler refused to allow LIII Corps to withdraw, but General Reinhardt and the commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal Busch, saw what was happening. They ordered the corps commander, General Gollwitzer, to prepare for a breakthrough. Late! On June 24, the 4th airfield division was surrounded south-west of the city, and the remaining 3 divisions of the corps were trapped in a mousetrap in Vitebsk itself. Pay attention to an important point: all the boilers turned out to be very small, not the ones about which the Sovinformburo reports to the roar of an artillery salute. But I didn't have to bother with them either. Already on July 25, the 4th airfield division ceased to exist under the blows of the 39th army, and the Vitebsk cauldron itself disintegrated into two more. The 246th Infantry and 6th Airfield Divisions were surrounded 10 kilometers from Vitebsk, and the 206th Infantry Division was stuck in the city. Under the blows of Soviet aviation, their forces literally melted before our eyes. By the evening of June 26, the situation of the surrounded became hopeless, and General Gollwitzer decided to try to break through in order to save what could still be saved. At dawn on June 27, the Germans launched a breakthrough in small groups. The result of such attempts is well known to us from the events of the summer of 1941. The LIII Corps was completely destroyed. True, the Germans still continue to argue about what exactly happened to him. According to one estimate, 20,000 soldiers were killed and 10,000 were captured. Other historians claim that 5,000 soldiers died and 22,000 were captured. I think when they figure it out thoroughly, it will be possible to amend the new edition of this book.
Here we have to make a small digression. As we have already seen, in 1941 the Germans very often managed to wage a blitzkrieg without the participation of tanks. Almost the same thing has happened now. In Operation Bagration, only one tank army participated - the 5th Guards. The reason was quite understandable: the forests and swamps of Belarus are not the best terrain for tanks, they could only operate along the Minsk-Moscow highway. It was there that the German defense was broken. Most importantly, the Soviet tanks did not linger, "forming an outer ring of encirclement," but moved on to Borisov, as prescribed by all the canons of the blitzkrieg. In parallel with the tank army, the mechanized cavalry group of General Oslikovsky was advancing. Very quickly, the Germans first tested the effectiveness of their own tactics. The remnants of the XXVII Corps, who tried to escape from Orsha, ran into the tanks that had broken through with a completely predictable result.
The Germans faced a difficult task - to try to stop the rapid advance of Soviet tanks, in which the 2nd Guards Tank Corps, operating south of Rotmistrov's army, also participated. The Berezina River was chosen as a defensive line. This thankless task was assigned to the 5th Panzer Division, which was hastily transferred to Minsk from the Ukraine. It was also assigned the 505th Heavy Tank Battalion. It was his "tigers" that on June 28 were the first to collide with the 3rd Guards Tank Corps at the Krupki station, but were forced to retreat.
The Soviet command mastered the cunning science of blitzkrieg, and Rotmistrov's tanks did not have to fight the arriving German reserves alone. On June 29, 5 rifle divisions of the 11th Guards Army were already brought up to help the tanks. A combined strike by infantry and tanks (!) Broke through the German defense just north of Borisov, in a weaker place (!), And after short battles on June 30, the German defense on the Berezina collapsed. Guderian could have rejoiced at such a skillful application of his theories, but something tells me that the news of these events did not make Inspector General Panzerwaffe happy.
The attack on Minsk from the south, led by the 1st Belorussian Front of General Rokossovsky, did not develop so successfully in the early days due to the swampy terrain. But on June 24, the main forces of the front entered the battle, and the German defense was broken through here too. The commander of the 9th Army, General Jordan, decided to throw his only reserve into the battle - the 20th Panzer Division. By the way, pay attention to the paucity of German reserves. Division there, division here - no more. But those were OKH's problems. War is not a chess game, where both players get 16 exactly the same pieces before the start. Everyone has what they have managed to collect. But I could not ...
The 20th Panzer Division clashed with the advancing Soviet forces south of Bobruisk and was destroyed. By June 26, the 1st Guards Tank Corps had reached the city from the south, and the 9th Panzer Corps - from the east. The very next day, 9th Panzer Corps captured the crossings across the Berezina, and several more German divisions were surrounded. Rokossovsky did not waste time on creating an "iron ring", rightly believing that they would not go anywhere anyway, but abandoned his reserves - the 1st Guards Cavalry and 1st Mechanized Corps - further west, to Baranovichi. The defense of the German 9th Army collapsed along the entire front. True, it is not very clear why the Germans do not like to admit that the affairs of the 4th Panzer Army in the north were no better.
Field Marshal Bush realized that the threat of total annihilation loomed in front of his army group. Together with General Jordan on June 26, he flew to Hitler's headquarters, but failed to explain anything to the Fuehrer. The only result of the visit was that Hitler removed both Bush and Jordan. To save the situation was entrusted to "Hitler's fireman" Field Marshal Model.
In the Bobruisk area, about 40,000 German soldiers were surrounded. Rokossovsky proved that he perfectly understands how to act in such a situation. The Soviet artillery and aviation successfully ground one German regiment after another, while the tanks continued their advance. Surrounded by XXXI Panzer Corps made several attempts to escape from the city, but was dismembered, crushed and destroyed. In just less than a week, about 50,000 German soldiers were killed during the fighting, and another 20,000 were captured.
After the German front collapsed north and south of Minsk, it was possible to start solving larger-scale tasks. Soviet forces launched an offensive on the capital of Belarus, threatening to trap the remnants of Army Group Center. The intended cauldron was much larger than all the previous ones, but here the most important successful condition of the blitzkrieg was fulfilled - the enemy's will to resist was completely broken.
Here we have to argue a bit with the very authoritative historian Stephen Zaloga. He claims that the German command, in despair, resorted to the last resort and tried to use strategic aviation to stop the Soviet offensive. In general, he claims correctly, but is very much mistaken in details. The fact is that the last major bombing offensive of the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front began long before Operation Bagration by the forces of the IV Air Corps, and it had completely different goals. Operation Tsaunkyonig began on March 27 with raids on the Sarny railway junction in order to prevent our attack on Kovel, that is, all this had nothing to do with the battles in Belarus. The raids continued until July 1944. During these operations, the already small stocks of aviation gasoline were practically used up. Therefore, the participation of Non-177 bombers in the July battles was extremely limited, although they inflicted one or two attacks on Soviet tanks near Minsk. Moreover, German sources emphasize that, although the attacks were carried out during the day, the losses were very insignificant, since the Soviet pilots simply did not have experience in fighting such large aircraft.
However, let us descend from heaven to a sinful earth. The Red Army continued to advance on Minsk from the north and south, and attempts to stop them did not lead to anything. On July 1 and 2, fierce tank battles took place northeast of Minsk - the 5th Panzer Division and the 505th Heavy Tank Battalion tried to stop the 5th Guards Tank Army. Rotmistrov was again unlucky, although, perhaps, he was simply a useless general. And even more so as a marshal. It was not for nothing that he, it was he, received a reprimand from Stalin, while Chernyakhovsky and Rokossovsky were the new stars for shoulder straps. By the way, Rotmistrov managed to get the Gold Star only in 1965, during the famous Brezhnev distribution. During the war years, neither Katukov nor Lelushenko could equal him. Rotmistrov's army again suffered noticeable losses, but the German tank group simply disappeared. Only 18 vehicles remained in the 5th Panzer Division, and the Tigers were killed to the last.
A panic reigned in Minsk, very similar to what the Germans themselves saw in France in the summer of 1940. The city was overwhelmed by crowds of unarmed fugitives and staff officers who were not at all eager to die a hero's death, defending the "Fester Platz Minsk", which was created by order of Hitler. On the contrary, they stormed the trains leaving for the West. Here you can throw a serious reproach to the Soviet aviation, which never managed to block the railways.
The first to break into the outskirts of Minsk, early on the morning of July 3, were units of the 2nd Panzer Corps. In the afternoon, the 1st Guards Tank Corps entered Minsk from the southeast. The 3rd and 1st Belorussian fronts merged. German resistance in the city itself was suppressed very quickly, because, as we have already said, there was no one to defend it. The encirclement ring closed, and inside there were 5 German corps, or 25 divisions. The 9th and 4th Panzer Armies ceased to exist, as did the entire Army Group Center as a whole. This was the largest defeat for the Wehrmacht in the entire Second World War, much more terrible than Stalingrad. You can talk about the further operations of the Red Army - Vilnius, Lvov-Sandomierz, Kaunas, and indeed write a huge volume dedicated to the Belarusian operation. But this is already superfluous, and we will not talk about the pursuit of the defeated enemy.
In total, during Operation Bagration, the Germans lost about 400,000 soldiers, 10 generals were killed, and 22 were taken prisoner. The generals can at least be counted, but even the Germans themselves do not know the exact figures of their total losses. Once brave warriors dreamed of marching in parade across Moscow, and on July 17, 1944, their dream came true. True, not quite as it once seemed to all these "dreamers". But 56,000 German soldiers and officers, led by 19 generals, had to march through the streets of the Soviet capital.
The last operation that we would like to consider will be Yasso-Chisinau. In some respects, it was an even cleaner blitzkrieg than Bagration, as in this case Soviet tanks were brought into a clean breakthrough. However, let's talk about everything in order.
Yasso-Chisinau operation.
In the summer of 1944, the German Eastern Front was falling apart literally in all areas - from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea. German generals still dreamed of organizing a tough defense, of transferring hostilities to a positional channel, as it was during the First World War. Hitler muttered something about fortresses and an indestructible wall. Yes, the Wehrmacht tried to build a wall. Only it turned out in accordance with the famous phrase: “Wall, but rotten. Poke - and it will fall apart. " Poked in the northern sector - Army Group "Center" scattered into dust. Poked on the south - Army Group "South Ukraine" had no better.
By mid-August, a situation had developed in Moldova that was strikingly reminiscent of Stalingrad. The German 6th Army occupied a ledge that jutted deep into the front line, and its flanks were covered by the Romanian troops - the 3rd and 4th armies. Probably, the Germans should, at least out of superstition, assign a different number to the ill-fated army, otherwise it was simply asking for trouble, although now it was commanded by General Fretter-Pico, and not Paulus at all.
The idea of the operation was simple - to strike at two far-removed sectors of the front: north-west of Iasi and south of Bendery, where the Romanian troops held the defense. If successful, the 6th Army in its entirety would find itself in the cauldron and could share the fate of its predecessor. The Soviet command concentrated significant forces and created multiple superiority in manpower, tanks and artillery in the areas of the breakthrough. For example, it was possible to bring the density of artillery up to 280 barrels per kilometer of the front, which previously did not even dare to think about. The main difference from the Byelorussian operation was that in the southern sector of the front, the terrain was much more favorable for the use of tanks, so 1,870 tanks and self-propelled guns were assembled here.
The offensive of both fronts began on 20 August after a powerful artillery barrage. The artillery strike was so strong that in some places the first line of the German defense was swept away. Here are the memories of one of the offensive participants:
“When we moved forward, the terrain was black to a depth of about ten kilometers. The enemy's defenses were practically destroyed. The enemy trenches, dug to their full height, turned into shallow ditches, no more than knee deep. The dugouts were destroyed. Sometimes dugouts miraculously survived, but the enemy soldiers who were in them were dead, although no traces of wounds were visible. Death came from high air pressure after shell explosions and suffocation. "
The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front of General Malinovsky on the very first day broke through the main line of defense, and the 27th Army also broke through the second. In one day, our troops advanced 16 kilometers. The commander of Army Group South Ukraine, General Friesner, later wrote that chaos had begun in the disposition of his armies. In order to somehow suspend the rapidly developing offensive, he threw 3 infantry and 1 tank divisions into a counterattack near Yassy. But this attack was not successful. In the middle of the day, Malinovsky led the 6th Panzer Army into the breakthrough, which struck at the third and last line of defense of the Germans.
It is completely incomprehensible for what reasons, but the Soviet Military Encyclopedia suddenly begins to carry complete nonsense, talking about the second day of the operation. Say, "the enemy pulled units of 12 divisions, including two tank divisions, to the breakthrough area of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, and tried to stop his offensive with counterattacks." Friesner didn’t have such powers. He does not mention a single word about any counterattacks on 21 August. On the contrary, all his thoughts were focused on one thing - how to organize a more or less orderly withdrawal of troops across the Prut or even the Danube. Frisner did not want his divisions to share the fate of Field Marshal Bush's troops, so he spat on the vaunted German discipline, spat on the orders of the Fuehrer and ordered the withdrawal of troops. But it was too late. Soviet tanks found themselves deep in the German rear, cutting off the corps headquarters from the headquarters of the 6th Army. General Fretter-Pico did not want to join the commander of the First 6th Army and hastily moved his headquarters further to the rear. So hastily that then he had to wash away for a long time from accusations of fleeing from the battlefield. Friesner tries to justify him, but he immediately writes that the headquarters of the army group was forced to take command of the divisions. This is not done out of a good life.
On the front of the Romanian 3rd Army, our offensive was also developing successfully. On August 22, the 3rd Ukrainian Front finally cut off the German 6th Army from the Romanian 3rd Army. Army General Tolbukhin correctly assessed the potential of both, and therefore decided to leave the Romanians on their own, concentrating their main efforts on actions against the right flank of the German army. The 4th Guards and 7th Mechanized Corps were thrown into the breakthrough, which began a rapid advance to the west, deviating slightly to the north, in order to meet Malinovsky's units on the banks of the Prut. Already on 23 August, Malinovsky's 18th Panzer Corps captured Khushi, and Tolbukhin's mechanized corps captured the crossings in Leusheni and Leovo. On the third day of the operation, the encirclement of the German 6th Army was completed! And Guderian himself would have envied the rate of advancement of Soviet tanks.
By the way, after the war, another battle broke out near Yassy - a battle of memoirs, in which Guderian and Friesner tried hard to push the blame for this disaster onto each other. However, let us be condescending to the panzer generals. The situation could not have been saved by any of them, and in general one should talk not about German mistakes (and who does not allow them?), But about the correct decisions of Malinovsky and Tolbukhin. The fact is that this time the blunders of the Korsun-Shevchenko operation were not repeated. The 6th Panzer Army, without stopping or being distracted by any "encirclement fronts", continued to develop the offensive to the south, in the direction of Bucharest. Did you want a blitzkrieg? You got it!
Meanwhile, the troops of the Soviet 46th Army crossed the Dniester and began to advance in the southeast direction. On August 23, when the ring around the main cauldron was closed, the 46th Army, as they say, in passing, slammed the Romanian 3rd Army, which surrendered, practically offering no resistance. Tolbukhin looked into the water when he did not want to allocate large forces to fight it. 3 divisions and 1 brigade surrendered. This turned out to be the last straw that broke the determination of the ruling circles of Romania to continue the struggle. On the evening of August 23, a "coup d'etat" took place in Bucharest, as our historians sometimes write. Although what kind of coup was it? King Mihai dismissed Prime Minister Antonescu and appointed another general, K. Sanatescu, in his place. At 23.30 the king's declaration on the cessation of hostilities against the allies was broadcast on the radio. The Soviet command did not count on such a result of the operation - Germany lost another ally. Although even here the SVE could not refrain from telling another tale about the "anti-fascist uprising under the leadership of the Communist Party." The funny thing is that modern historians repeat this tale, although literally a couple of pages later they write absolutely seriously that the Romanian Communist Party numbered less than 1000 people and did not have any influence.
In general, by 23 August, an internal encirclement front was formed, in which there were 18 German divisions. General Friesner is modestly silent about how they were defeated. In general, he dumps all the blame for the defeat of the 6th Army on the Romanians and ... Guderian. He himself is not at all to blame, and the Soviet troops, as it were, were present at this, no more.
The large boiler immediately collapsed into two smaller ones, the liquidation of which was completed on August 27 and 29. Then the operation could be considered completed. The Yasso-Kishinev operation is characterized by very small losses of Soviet troops - only about 67,000 killed and wounded, while the Germans lost about 250,000 people. This offensive also had more distant consequences - it opened the way for Soviet troops to the borders of Bulgaria. As a result, on September 5, the Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria, but on September 9 this "war without shots" ended.
In the fall of 1944, OKH had to do a thankless job for the second time - to re-form the 6th Army. By the way, few people know, but in the last days of the fighting in Stalingrad, Hitler ordered to collect one soldier from each of the encircled divisions so that they would become the "core" of the new 6th army of "avengers". Now there was no time to engage in such nonsense, and the army was formed around the headquarters of Fretter Pico that had escaped. It will be interesting to compare the composition of this ill-fated army in different periods of its existence.
November 19, 1942, the day the Soviet offensive began at Stalingrad: XIV Panzer Corps (60th and 3rd Motorized, 16th Panzer, 94th Infantry Divisions); LI corps (389, 295, 71, 79th Infantry, 100th Jaeger, 24th Panzer Division); VIII Corps (113th, 76th Infantry Divisions); XI Corps (44th, 384th Infantry Divisions), 14th Panzer Division is directly subordinate to the army headquarters.
Reconstructed army on April 9, 1943: XVII Corps (302, 306, 294th Infantry Divisions); XXIX corps (336th, 16th motorized, 15th airfield divisions); XXIV Panzer Corps (11th Infantry, 454th, 444th Security Divisions); corps group "Mitsh" (335th, 304th infantry, 3rd mountain rifle divisions); The 79th and 17th Infantry and 23rd Panzer Divisions are subordinated to the army headquarters.
VII Corps (Romanian 14th Infantry, 370th, 106th Infantry Divisions); LII corps (294, 320, 384, 161st infantry divisions); XXX Corps (384, 257, 15, 306, 302 Infantry Divisions); XXXIV Corps (258, 282, 335, 62nd Infantry Divisions); The 13th Panzer Division is directly subordinate to the army headquarters.
LVII Panzer Corps (76th Infantry, 4th Mountain Rifle, remnants of 20th Panzer Division), 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer, Winkler Group. That is, nothing remained of the August line-up.
As we can see, immediately after the defeat at Stalingrad, the dead divisions were not restored, despite the theatrical gesture of the Fuhrer. But it is pleasant to note that the 384th Infantry Division came under the distribution twice - at Stalingrad and at Chisinau. Well, no luck. However, we are somewhat distracted.
Summary... The battles of 1944 showed that the Soviet command gradually mastered the art of blitzkrieg - swift dissecting strikes, encircling enemy enemy armies and then destroying them with the simultaneous development of success by tank units. This detail is especially important, since only the summer offensives have fully demonstrated this. During the winter operations, our command continued to pay too much attention to the encircled groupings. In the summer of 1944, the Soviet command succeeded in several operations in the style of the classic blitzkrieg, which are worthy of being included in any textbook.
The terrible war with massive human losses began not in 1939, but much earlier. As a result of the First World War in 1918, almost all European countries acquired new borders. Most were stripped of part of their historical territory, leading to small wars in conversation and in the minds.
In the new generation, hatred of enemies and resentment about the lost cities were brought up. There were reasons for the resumption of the war. However, in addition to psychological reasons, there were also important historical prerequisites. The Second World War, in short, involved the entire globe in hostilities.
Causes of the war
Scientists identify several main reasons for the outbreak of hostilities:Territorial disputes. The winners of the 1918 war, England and France, divided Europe with their allies at their own discretion. The collapse of the Russian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire led to the emergence of 9 new states. The lack of clear boundaries gave rise to great controversy. The defeated countries wanted to regain their borders, and the victors did not want to part with the annexed territories. All territorial issues in Europe have always been resolved with the help of weapons. It was impossible to avoid the outbreak of a new war.
Colonial disputes. The defeated countries were deprived of their colonies, which were a constant source of replenishment of the treasury. In the colonies themselves, the local population raised liberation uprisings with armed clashes.
Rivalry between states. Germany after the defeat wanted revenge. It was the leading power in Europe all the time, and after the war it was largely limited.
Dictatorship. The dictatorial regime has grown significantly in many countries. The dictators of Europe first developed their army to suppress internal uprisings, and then to seize new territories.
The emergence of the USSR. The new power was not inferior to the might of the Russian Empire. She was a worthy competitor to the United States and leading European countries. They began to fear the emergence of communist movements.
The beginning of the war
Even before the signing of the Soviet-German agreement, Germany planned an aggression against the Polish side. At the beginning of 1939, a decision was made, and on August 31, a directive was signed. The state contradictions of the 30s led to the Second World War.The Germans did not admit their defeat in 1918 and the Versailles Accords, which oppressed the interests of Russia and Germany. Power went to the Nazis, blocs of fascist states began to form, and large states did not have the strength to resist German aggression. Poland was the first on Germany's path to world domination.
At night September 1, 1939 German special services have launched Operation Himmler. Dressed in Polish uniforms, they seized a radio station in the suburbs and called on the Poles to rebel against the Germans. Hitler announced the aggression from the Polish side and began hostilities.
After 2 days, Britain and France declared war on Germany, which had previously concluded agreements with Poland on mutual assistance. They were supported by Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India and the countries of South Africa. The outbreak became a world war. But Poland did not receive military and economic assistance from any of the supporting countries. If British and French troops were added to the Polish forces, the German aggression would be instantly stopped.
The population of Poland rejoiced at the entry into the war of their allies and waited for support. However, time passed, and help did not come. The weak point of the Polish army was aviation.
Germany's two armies "South" and "North", consisting of 62 divisions, opposed 6 Polish armies from 39 divisions. The Poles fought with dignity, but the numerical superiority of the Germans proved to be the decisive factor. In almost 2 weeks, almost the entire territory of Poland was occupied. The Curzon line was formed.
The Polish government left for Romania. The defenders of Warsaw and the Brest Fortress went down in history thanks to their heroism. The Polish army lost its organizational integrity.
The stages of the war
From September 1, 1939 to June 21, 1941 the first stage of the Second World War began. Characterizes the beginning of the war and the entry of the German military into Western Europe. On September 1, the Nazis attacked Poland. After 2 days, France and England declared war on Germany with their colonies and dominions.The Polish armed forces did not have time to deploy, the top leadership was weak, and the allied powers were in no hurry to help. The result was a complete docking of Polish territory.
France and England did not change their foreign policy until May next year. They hoped that German aggression would be directed against the USSR.
In April 1940, the German army entered Denmark without warning and occupied its territory. Norway fell immediately behind Denmark. At the same time, the German leadership was implementing the Gelb plan, it was decided to unexpectedly attack France through the neighboring Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The French concentrated their forces on the Maginot Line, rather than in the center of the country. Hitler attacked across the Ardennes behind the Maginot Line. On May 20, the Germans reached the English Channel, the Dutch and Belgian armies surrendered. In June, the French fleet was defeated, part of the army was evacuated to England.
The French army did not use all the possibilities of resistance. On June 10, the government left Paris, which was occupied by the Germans on June 14. After 8 days, the Armistice of Compiegne was signed (June 22, 1940) - the French act of surrender.
Great Britain was to be next. There was a change of government. The United States began to support the British.
In the spring of 1941 the Balkans were captured. On March 1, the Nazis appeared in Bulgaria, and on April 6, already in Greece and Yugoslavia. Western and Central Europe was dominated by Hitler. Preparations began for an attack on the Soviet Union.
June 22, 1941 to November 18, 1942 the second stage of the war lasted. Germany invaded the territory of the USSR. A new stage began, characterized by the unification of all military forces in the world against fascism. Roosevelt and Churchill openly announced their support for the Soviet Union. On July 12, the USSR and England signed an agreement on general military operations. On August 2, the United States pledged to provide military and economic assistance to the Russian army. Britain and the United States on August 14 promulgated the Atlantic Charter, which was later joined by the USSR with its opinion on military issues.
In September, the Russian and British military occupied Iran to prevent the formation of fascist bases in the East. The Anti-Hitler Coalition is being formed.
The German army met strong resistance in the fall of 1941. The plan to take Leningrad could not be implemented, since Sevastopol and Odessa resisted for a long time. On the eve of 1942, the plan for a "lightning war" disappeared. Hitler was defeated near Moscow, and the myth of German invincibility was dispelled. Germany was faced with the need for a protracted war.
In early December 1941, the Japanese military attacked a US base in the Pacific. Two powerful powers entered the war. The United States has declared war on Italy, Japan and Germany. Thanks to this, the anti-Hitler coalition has grown stronger. A number of mutual assistance agreements were concluded among the allied countries.
From November 19, 1942 to December 31, 1943 the third stage of the war lasted. It is called the turning point. The hostilities of this period assumed enormous scale and tension. Everything was decided on the Soviet-German front. On November 19, Russian troops launched a counteroffensive at Stalingrad (Battle of Stalingrad July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943) ... Their victory served as a strong incentive for the next battles.
To return the strategic initiative, Hitler carried out an attack near Kursk in the summer of 1943 ( Battle of Kursk July 5, 1943 - August 23, 1943). He lost and went into a defensive position. However, the allies of the Anti-Hitler coalition were in no hurry to fulfill their duties. They were waiting for the exhaustion of Germany and the USSR.
On July 25, the Italian fascist government was liquidated. The new head has declared war on Hitler. The fascist bloc began to disintegrate.
Japan did not weaken the grouping on the Russian border. The United States replenished its military strength and launched successful offensives in the Pacific.
January 1, 1944 to May 9, 1945 ... The fascist army was driven out of the USSR, a second front was created, European countries were liberated from the fascists. The joint efforts of the Anti-Fascist Coalition led to the complete collapse of the German army and the surrender of Germany. Great Britain and the United States carried out large-scale operations in Asia and the Pacific.
May 10, 1945 - September 2, 1945 ... Armed actions are carried out in the Far East, as well as the territory of Southeast Asia. The United States has used nuclear weapons.
Great Patriotic War (June 22, 1941 - May 9, 1945).
World War II (September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945).
Results of the war
The greatest losses fell on the Soviet Union, which took the brunt of the German army. 27 million people have died. The resistance of the Red Army led to the defeat of the Reich.Military action could lead to the collapse of civilization. War criminals and fascist ideology were condemned in all world processes.
In 1945 in Yalta, a decision was signed to establish the UN to prevent such actions.
The aftermath of the use of nuclear weapons over Nagasaki and Hiroshima forced many countries to sign a pact banning the use of weapons of mass destruction.
The countries of Western Europe lost their economic dominance, which passed to the United States.
The victory in the war allowed the USSR to expand its borders and strengthen the totalitarian regime. Some countries became communist.
Despite the fact that Great Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, and the United States in 1941, they were in no hurry to open the much needed USSR Second Front. Let's highlight the most popular versions of the reason for the delay of allies.
Unpreparedness for war
Many experts see the main reason for such a late opening of the Second Front - June 6, 1944 - that the Allies are not ready for a full-scale war. What could Great Britain, for example, oppose to Germany? As of September 1939, the British army numbered 1 million 270 thousand people, 640 tanks and 1,500 aircraft. In Germany, these figures were much more impressive: 4 million 600 thousand soldiers and officers, 3195 tanks and 4093 aircraft.
Moreover, during the retreat of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940, a significant amount of tanks, artillery and ammunition were thrown at Dunkirk. According to Churchill, "in fact in the whole country there were barely 500 field guns of all types and 200 medium and heavy tanks."
The United States Army was in an even more deplorable state. The number of regular troops by 1939 was slightly more than 500 thousand people, with 89 combat divisions, of which only 16 were armored. For comparison: the Wehrmacht army had 170 fully equipped and combat-ready divisions.
However, in a couple of years, both the United States and Great Britain significantly strengthened their military capabilities and in 1942, according to experts, they could already provide real assistance to the USSR, pulling significant forces of the German army from East to West.
When he asked for the opening of the Second Front, Stalin counted primarily on the British government, but Churchill, under various pretexts, repeatedly refused the Soviet leader.
Fight for the Suez Canal
The Middle East remained a priority for Great Britain at the height of the war. In British military circles, it was considered futile to land an amphibious assault on the coast of France, which would only divert the main forces from solving strategic tasks.
By the spring of 1941, the situation was such that Britain was no longer short of food. Imports of food products from the main suppliers - the Netherlands, Denmark, France and Norway for obvious reasons turned out to be impossible.
Churchill was well aware of the need to maintain communications with the Near and Middle East, as well as India, which would provide Great Britain with much-needed goods, and therefore threw all his efforts to defend the Suez Canal. The German threat to this region was large enough.
Allied disagreements
An important reason for the postponement of the opening of the Second Front was the disagreement of the allies. They were observed between Great Britain and the United States, which were solving their geopolitical tasks, but to an even greater extent, contradictions emerged between Great Britain and France.
Even before the surrender of France, Churchill visited the country's government, which had been evacuated to Tours, in an attempt to encourage the French to continue their resistance. But at the same time, the Prime Minister did not hide his fear that the French navy might fall into the hands of the German army and therefore offered to send it to British ports. A decisive refusal followed from the French government.
On June 16, 1940, Churchill proposed to the government of the Third Republic an even more daring project, which practically meant the merger of Great Britain and France into one state on enslaving terms for the latter. The French regarded this as an open desire to take possession of the country's colonies.
The last step that upset the relations between the two allies was Operation Catapult, which involved the capture of the entire available French fleet by England or its destruction in order to avoid falling into the enemy's hands.
Japanese threat and Moroccan interest
The attack by the Japanese Air Force at the end of 1941 on the American military base in Pearl Harbor, on the one hand, finally put the United States in the ranks of the Soviet Union's allies, but on the other hand, postponed the opening of the Second Front, as it forced the country's efforts to focus on the war with Japan. For a whole year, the Pacific theater of operations for the American army became the main arena of battles.
In November 1942, the United States began to implement the "Torch" plan to seize Morocco, which at that time was of the greatest interest to American military-political circles. It was assumed that the Vichy regime, with which the United States continued to maintain diplomatic relations, would not offer resistance.
And so it happened. In a matter of days, the Americans captured the major cities of Morocco, and later, having united with their allies - Britain and Free France, they continued successful offensive operations in Algeria and Tunisia.
Personal goals
Soviet historiography almost unanimously expressed the opinion that the Anglo-American coalition deliberately delayed the opening of the Second Front, expecting that the USSR, exhausted by the prolonged war, would lose its status of a great power. Churchill, even promising military assistance to the Soviet Union, continued to call it "the sinister Bolshevik state."
In his message to Stalin, Churchill very vaguely writes that "the chiefs of staff do not see an opportunity to do anything on such a scale that it could bring you even the smallest benefit." This answer is most likely due to the fact that the Prime Minister shared the opinion of the military-political circles of Britain, who asserted: "the defeat of the USSR by the Wehrmacht troops is a matter of several weeks."
After the turning point in the war, when a certain status quo was observed on the fronts of the USSR, the allies were still in no hurry to open the Second Front. They were occupied with completely different thoughts: would the Soviet government agree to a separate peace with Germany? The Allied intelligence report included the following words: "A state of affairs in which neither side can count on a quick, complete victory, in all likelihood, will lead to a Russian-German agreement."
The wait-and-see position of Great Britain and the United States meant one thing: the allies were interested in weakening both Germany and the USSR. Only when the fall of the Third Reich became inevitable were certain shifts in the process of opening the Second Front outlined.
War is big business
Many historians are perplexed by one circumstance: why the German army almost unhindered allowed the British landing to retreat during the so-called "Dunkirk operation" in May-June 1940. The answer most often sounds like this: "Hitler received an order not to touch the British."
Doctor of Political Science Vladimir Pavlenko believes that the situation around the entry of the United States and Great Britain into the European arena of war was influenced by big business in the person of the Rockefeller financial clan. The tycoon's main target is the Eurasian oil market. It was Rockefeller, according to the political scientist, who created the "American-British-German octopus - Schroeder's bank in the status of an agent of the Nazi government" is responsible for the growth of the German military machine.
For the time being, Rockefeller needed Hitler's Germany. British and American intelligence services have repeatedly reported on the possibility of removing Hitler, but each time they received a go-ahead from the leadership. As soon as the end of the Third Reich became apparent, nothing stopped Britain and the United States from entering the European theater of military operations.
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