The Second World War is considered the largest in human history. It began and ended on September 2, 1945. During this time, sixty-two countries took part in it, representing eighty percent of the planet's population. Three continents and four oceans experienced hostilities, and atomic weapons were also used. It was the most terrible war. It started quickly and took many people from this world. We will talk about this and much more today.
Prerequisites for the war
Many historians consider the main prerequisite for the outbreak of World War II to be the outcome of the first armed conflict in the world. The peace treaty that ended the First World War put the countries that were defeated in it in a powerless position. Germany lost a lot of its lands, it had to stop developing its weapons system and military industry, and abandon its armed forces. In addition, it had to pay compensation to the affected countries. All this depressed the German government, and a thirst arose to take revenge. Dissatisfaction in the country with the low standard of living made it possible for A. Hitler to come to power.
Policy of reconciliation
What happened on September 1, 1939, we already know. But shortly before this, the USSR, which appeared during the First World War, worried many European politicians, since they in every possible way prevented the spread of socialism in the world. Therefore, the second reason for the start of the war was opposition to the popularization of communism. This gave impetus to the development of fascism in many countries. England and France, which had initially restricted Germany, subsequently lifted all restrictions and ignored the many violations by the German state of the Treaty of Versailles. There was no reaction to the fact that Germany annexed Austria, increasing its military power. The Munich Treaty also approved the annexation of part of Czechoslovakia to Germany. All this was done in order to direct the country's aggression towards the USSR. Europe's politicians began to worry when Germany expanded its annexation without asking anyone. But it was too late, because the plan for a new military conflict was drawn up and began to be implemented.
Role of Italy
Together with Germany, Italy also began to pursue an aggressive foreign policy. In 1935, she invaded Ethiopia, to which the world community reacted negatively. However, fascist Italy a year later annexed all Ethiopian territories and proclaimed itself an empire. The deterioration of relations with Western countries contributed to its rapprochement with Germany. Mussolini allows Hitler to take over Austria. In 1936, the Third Reich and Japan entered into an agreement to jointly fight communism. A year later, Italy joined them.
Collapse of the Versailles-Washington system
The outbreaks of World War II formed gradually, so the outbreak of hostilities could have been prevented. Let's consider the main stages of the collapse of the Versailles-Washington system:
- In 1931, Japan occupied Northeast China.
- In 1935, Hitler began to deploy the Wehrmacht in Germany, violating the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
- In 1937, Japan conquered all of China.
- 1938 - Germany captured Austria and part of Czechoslovakia.
- 1939 - Hitler captured all of Czechoslovakia. In August, Germany and the USSR signed a non-aggression treaty and division of spheres of influence in the world.
- September 1, 1939 - German attack on Poland.
Armed intervention in Poland
Germany has set itself the task of expanding space to the East. At the same time, Poland must be captured as soon as possible. In August, the USSR and Germany signed a non-aggression pact against each other. In the same month, Germans dressed in Polish uniforms attacked a radio station in Gleiwitz. German and Slovak troops advance on Poland. England, France and other countries that were allied with Poland declare war on the Nazis. At half past five in the morning, German dive bombers made their first flight to the control points of Tczew. The first Polish plane was shot down. At four hours and forty-five minutes in the morning, a German battleship opened fire on the Polish fortifications located on Westerplatte. Mussolini put forward a proposal for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, but Hitler refused, citing the incident in Gleiwitz.
In the USSR, military mobilization was introduced. In a short period of time, the army reached five million people.
Fascist strategy
Poland and Germany have long had claims against each other regarding territories. The main clashes began near the city of Danzig, which the Nazis had long claimed. But Poland did not meet the Germans halfway. This did not upset the latter, since they had long ago had the Weiss plan ready to capture Poland. 1 September 1939 Poland should have become part of Germany. A plan was developed to quickly seize its territory and destroy all infrastructure. To achieve the goal, Hitler planned to use aviation, infantry and tank troops. The Weiss plan was designed down to the smallest detail. Hitler hoped that England and France would not begin military operations, but considered the possibility of opening a second front, sending troops to the borders with the Netherlands, France and Belgium.
Preparedness for military conflict
Attack on Poland September 1, 1939 year was obvious, as was the outcome of the fascist operation. The German army was much larger than the Polish one, as was its technical equipment. In addition, the Nazis organized a rapid mobilization, about which Poland knew nothing. The Polish government concentrated all its forces along the entire border, which contributed to the weakening of the troops before the powerful attack of the Nazis. The Nazi offensive went according to plan. The Polish troops turned out to be weak in front of the enemy, especially in front of his tank formations. In addition, the President of Poland left the capital. The government followed four days later. The Anglo-French troops did not take any action to help the Poles. Only two days later they, along with New Zealand and Australia, declared war on Hitler. A few days later they were joined by Nepal, Canada, the Union of South Africa and Newfoundland. On September 3, at sea, a Nazi submarine attacked an English liner without warning. During the war, Hitler hoped to the last that Poland's allies would not enter into an armed conflict, everything would happen the same as with Munich. Adolf Hitler was shocked when Britain gave him an ultimatum, demanding the withdrawal of troops from Polish territory.
Germany
Nazi Germany made several diplomatic steps in order to expand the circle of states that were involved in the division of Polish territory. Ribbentrop proposed that Hungary annex part of Polish Ukraine, but Budapest avoided these questions. Germany offered Lithuania to conquer the Vilnius region, but the latter declared neutrality for the year. From the first days of the war, the leader of the OUN was in Berlin, to whom the German side promised the formation of the so-called independent Ukraine in southeastern Poland. A little later, he was informed about the possibility of forming a Western Ukrainian state on the border with Soviet Russia.
In the summer of 1939, when the OUN was preparing for military action in Poland, a unit of Galicians called the VVN was formed in Slovakia. It was part of a German-Slovak unit that attacked from the territory of Slovakia. Hitler wanted to create states on the border with the USSR that would be subordinate to the Third Reich: Ukraine, the so-called Polish pseudo-state and Lithuania. Ribbentrop pointed out that it was necessary to destroy the Poles and Jews with the help of the VVN. At the end of September, Ukrainian nationalists launched uprisings, during which military personnel and civilians were killed. At this time, actions were taken in Germany against the USSR. Ribbentrop invites Hitler to discuss the issue of the entry of Russian troops into the lands of Poland to occupy that part that is included in the circle of interests of the USSR, according to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Moscow refused such a proposal, indicating that the time had not yet come. Molotov indicated that the intervention of the Soviet Union could be a reaction to the advance of the Nazis, to protect Ukrainians and Belarusians from the Nazis.
The Union was officially notified that the outbreak had begun in Europe. war, September 1, 1939. The border troops were ordered to strengthen the security of the Soviet-Polish border, military mobilization was introduced, the number of vehicles, horses, tractors, etc. in the army was increased. Ribbentrop calls on the Union to completely defeat Poland within two or three weeks. Molotov argued that the USSR did not want to take part in the war, ensuring its security. Stalin said that there was a war going on in the world between two camps (rich and poor) for the redivision of the world. But the Union will watch from the side as they weaken each other well. He claimed that the communists were against the war. But in the meantime, the SIC directive stated that the Union could not defend fascist Poland. A little later, the Soviet press indicated that the German-Polish war was becoming threatening, so reserves were being called up. A large number of army groups were created. On September 17, the Red Army advanced to Poland. Polish troops offered no resistance. The division of Poland between the Union and Germany ended on September 28. Western Belarus and Western Ukraine went to the USSR, which later merged with the Ukrainian SSR and BSSR.
The mood for war with Germany, which had existed in the Union since 1935, lost its meaning, but mobilization continued. About two hundred thousand conscripts continued to serve, according to the new law on conscription that was created September 1, 1939 (event what happened on this day is familiar to us).
Poland's reaction
Having learned about the crossing of the Polish border by the Soviet army, the Polish command sent an ambassador with the question of how the Soviet army crossed their border. He was presented with a fait accompli, although the Polish government believed that the Red Army was brought in to limit the Nazi occupation zone. It was ordered to retreat to Romania and Hungary and not to conduct military operations.
Germany's reaction
For the management of the German armed forces, the advance of the Soviet army into Poland came as a surprise. An emergency meeting was convened to discuss options for further actions by the Nazis. At the same time, armed clashes with the Red Army were considered inappropriate.
France and England
When September 1, 1939 World War II began with the invasion of Poland, England and France remained on the sidelines. After the USSR invaded Poland, these two states did not focus on Soviet intervention in the Polish-German war. They tried to find out what position the Union took in this conflict. There were rumors in these countries that the Red Army in Poland opposed German troops. In mid-September, the British government decided that England would defend Poland only from Germany, so the USSR did not send a protest, thereby recognizing the Soviet action in Poland.
Withdrawal of German troops
On September 20, Hitler gave the order to withdraw troops to the west. He demanded an immediate end to the fighting. But this order did not take into account the fact that there were a large number of wounded, prisoners and equipment on Polish territory. It was planned to leave the wounded in place, providing them with medical personnel. All trophies that could not be evacuated were left to the Russian soldiers. The Germans left military equipment in place for further removal. Damaged tanks made using new technologies were ordered to be destroyed so that it would not be possible to identify them.
Negotiations between Germany and the USSR were scheduled for September 27-28. Stalin made a proposal to transfer Lithuania to the Union in exchange for part of the Warsaw and Lublin voivodeships. Stalin was afraid of the division of the Polish population, so he left the entire ethnic territory of the country to Germany, as well as part of the Augustow forests. Hitler approved this version of the division of Poland. On September 29, the Treaty of Friendship and Border between the Soviet Union and Germany was signed. Thus, the basis of peace in Europe for a long time was created. The elimination of the impending war between Germany, England and France ensured the interests of many nations.
Anglo-French reaction
England was satisfied with this course of events. She informed the Union that she wanted Poland to be smaller, so the question of returning the territories captured by the USSR to it could not arise. France and England informed the Polish President not to declare war on the Soviet Union. Churchill said that Russian troops needed to enter Poland in order to ensure security against the threat from the Nazis.
Results of the operation
Poland ceased to exist as a state. As a result of its division, the USSR received a territory of about two hundred thousand square kilometers, which is half the area of the country, and a population of thirteen million people. The territory of the Vilnius region was transferred to Lithuania. Germany received the entire ethnic territory of Poland. Some lands went to Slovakia. The lands that did not join Germany became part of the General Government, which was ruled by the Nazis. Krakow became its capital. The Third Reich lost about twenty thousand people, thirty thousand people were wounded. The Polish army lost sixty-six thousand people, two hundred thousand were wounded, and seven hundred thousand were captured. The Slovak army lost eighteen people, forty-six people were wounded.
Year 1939... September 1 - beginning of World War II. Poland was the first to take the blow, as a result of which it was divided between the Soviet Union and Germany. In the territories that became part of the USSR, Soviet power was established and industry was nationalized. Repressions and deportations of representatives of the bourgeoisie, rich peasants, intelligentsia, and so on were carried out. In the territories that became part of Germany, a so-called racial policy was carried out; the population was divided according to rights, depending on their nationality. At the same time, Gypsies and Jews were destroyed. In the General Government there was more aggression against the Polish and Jewish population. No one suspected then that this was just the beginning of the war, that it would take six long years and end with the defeat of Nazi Germany. Most of the world's population took part in military conflict.
Description of the presentation World War II September 1, 1939 - 2 slides
1. The beginning of World War II. 2. The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union. 3. Military operations in other theaters of the world war. 4. A radical change in the course of the war. 5. The end of World War II. Results of the war. Lesson Plan
The scale of the Second World War 61 states took part 80% of the world's population was engulfed in war 110 million people were drafted into the army 65 million people died Duration - 6 years
I September 1, 1939 - June 1942 The expanding scale of the war while maintaining the superiority of the aggressor forces. II June 1942 - January 1944 A turning point in the course of the war, initiative and superiority in forces pass into the hands of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. III January 1944 – September 2, 1945 The superiority of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. Defeat enemy armies. Crisis and collapse of the ruling regimes of aggressor states. Periodization of World War II
Capture of Poland September 1 - October 6, 1939 Germany's attack on Poland - the beginning of World War II
USSR at the beginning of World War II On September 16, the Germans occupied Warsaw. On September 17, Soviet troops entered the western regions of Poland
USSR at the beginning of World War II, Soviet troops returned the lands of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus.
On September 28, the USSR and Germany signed a Treaty of Friendship and Borders. USSR at the beginning of World War II English caricature of Hitler and Stalin The Polish state was liquidated. Western Ukraine and Western Belarus were ceded to the USSR, and the Polish lands bordering Germany were declared a German General Government, governed from Berlin.
USSR at the beginning of World War II Signing of the Soviet-Lithuanian treaty. The USSR demanded that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania conclude agreements on mutual assistance and agree to the deployment of Soviet garrisons on their territory. These demands were accepted.
The defeat of the Allies In the spring of 1940, Hitler launched an offensive on the Western Front. In April, German troops invaded Denmark and Norway. Denmark capitulated without a fight, and the leader of local fascists, Quisling, came to power in Norway. In May, the Germans invaded the Low Countries and bypassed the Maginot Line on the French border. The Allies were trapped on the coast at Dunkirk.
Free France General Charles de Gaulle makes a radio address
The fight with England Hitler was going to land troops on the British Isles. The English fleet prevented this attempt. German bomber over London. Germany unleashed the full might of the Luftwaffe on England. The British Air Force and Air Defense fought back the Germans. W. Churchill in the ruins after the bombings Stubborn resistance from England prompted Hitler to begin preparations for war with the USSR.
USSR at the beginning of World War II. In August 1940, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia officially joined the USSR as union republics. The Moldavian USSR was formed from Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina transferred from Romania.
USSR at the beginning of World War II At the same time, the USSR demanded to move the Finnish border away from Leningrad, offering a large but sparsely populated territory in Soviet Karelia. Finland refused. November 30, 1939 - March 12, 1940 - Soviet-Finnish War The Red Army met stubborn resistance, especially on the Mannerheim Line. Combat operations were accompanied by heavy losses of the Red Army (95 thousand killed and died from wounds versus 23 thousand on the Finnish side). December 1939 - exclusion of the USSR from the League of Nations. Breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line by the Red Army
The USSR at the beginning of the Second World War Peace Treaty of March 12, 1940 The USSR withdrew: the Karelian Isthmus with Vyborg Part of the Rybachy Peninsula Rent of the island. Hanko for 30 years The Karelo-Finnish SSR was formed
Italian actions in East Africa Summer 1940 Italian troops stationed in Italian Somalia launched an offensive against the neighboring British colony of Somalia and against British troops stationed in Egypt. Spring 1941 In the spring of 1941, the British, with the support of Ethiopian partisans, expelled the Italians from British Somalia and Ethiopia, occupying all of East Africa.
Italian actions in North Africa The British repulsed the Italian offensive and captured part of Libya.
Capture of the Balkans Autumn 1940 October 28, 1940 Italy attacked Greece. Italian troops faced stubborn resistance from the Greek army. At Mussolini's request, Germany came to the rescue. Spring 1941 On April 6, 1941, German troops attacked Greece and Yugoslavia. They quickly broke the resistance of the Greek and Yugoslav armies.
The growth of Soviet-German contradictions Stalin, who laid claim to the Black Sea straits, was also ready to join the Tripartite Pact, but Germany also sought this. Relations between the two countries began to rapidly deteriorate. In September 1940, Germany, Italy and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, which provided for the division of the world. "Moscow Buddha". English caricature of Stalin
democratic freedoms were eliminated The fascist occupation regime dissolved political parties, trade unions were banned strikes and demonstrations the economy worked for the needs of the occupiers the program of extermination of millions of people
(Holocaust The policy of extermination by the Hitler regime in 1933 - 1945 of over 16 million civilians and prisoners of war in concentration camps.
Destroyed: 35% Jews 30% Gypsies Belarusians Ukrainians Russian Poles 6 million people 200 thousand people) 16 million people. VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST
Preparing Germany for war with the USSR Plan "Barbarossa", drawn up taking into account the experience of the war in Europe, provided for a "blitzkrieg war". 3 groups: “North” - to Leningrad, “Center” - to Moscow, “South” - to Ukraine. In 6 weeks, defeat the Red Army and reach the Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line.
Forces of the parties on the eve of the war Germany USSR Divisions 190 170 The number of troops is approximately equal, a total of about 6 million. Guns and mortars 48 thousand 47 thousand Tanks 4.3 thousand 9.2 thousand Airplanes 5 thousand 8.5 thousand
USSR in the first days of the war, V. M. Molotov ended his speech on June 22, 1941 with the words: “Our cause is just. Victory will be ours!" . At loudspeakers on the streets of Moscow. June 22, 1941 I. Toidze. “The Motherland is calling!” Poster. 1941
A general mobilization was declared in the country. On June 23, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command was created. On June 30, in accordance with the Constitution, the State Defense Committee was created, which received full power in the country. Both bodies were headed by I. Stalin. Germany's attack on the USSR Registration of volunteers in the first days of the war To the front...
Failures of the Red Army in the summer - autumn of 1941. Captured Soviet soldiers are dragging their wounded comrades. Periodization of the Great Patriotic War I period (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942) July - November 1941 Powerful offensive of fascist German troops, occupation of the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, attack on Donbass.
Failures of the Red Army in the summer - autumn of 1941. Periodization of the Great Patriotic War I period (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942) July - September July - August Heroic defense of Smolensk. Heroic defense of Kyiv.
Failures of the Red Army in the summer - autumn of 1941. Periodization of the Great Patriotic War I period (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942) July - September The beginning of the siege of Leningrad.
Failures of the Red Army in the summer - autumn of 1941. Periodization of the Great Patriotic War I period (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942) August - October November Heroic defense of Odessa. The beginning of the defense of Sevastopol. A. Deineka. Defense of Sevastopol
Battle of Moscow Periodization of the Great Patriotic War I period (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942) September-November 1941. The offensive of fascist German troops on Moscow. Soviet poster 1941
Defense of Moscow Moscow militias go to the front. 1941 Workers of the Trekhgornaya Manufactory dig anti-tank ditches near Moscow. Autumn 1941
Battle of Moscow Periodization of the Great Patriotic War I period (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942) December 5 - 6, 1941 Counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Moscow. Liberation of Kaluga, Orel, Kalinin. The Germans lost 38 divisions and were driven back 250 km from Moscow. Blitzkrieg failed.
German offensive of 1942. Periodization of the Great Patriotic War I period (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942) Spring-autumn 1942 Defeats of Soviet troops in the south of the country (near Kharkov and Crimea), due to strategic miscalculations of Headquarters. The Wehrmacht reached the North Caucasus and the Volga. The direction of German attacks in the summer and autumn of 1942. Hitler and Manstein at the map
Japanese offensive in the Pacific Ocean On December 7, 1941, a squadron of 6 Japanese aircraft carriers with 441 aircraft on board, secretly approaching Pearl Harbor, launched an air strike on American ships. The US Pacific Fleet was neutralized for 6 months. The victory of the Red Army near Moscow forced Japan to refuse to enter the war against the USSR. Battleship Arizona burns after an explosion caused by a Japanese bomb
Japan's offensive in East Asia By the summer of 1942, Indochina, the Philippines, Thailand, Burma, Malaya, and Indonesia, where about 150 million people lived, came under Japanese rule. Kamikaze pilots of the Japanese Air Force
Stages of the formation of the anti-Hitler coalition Soviet-British agreement on joint actions in the war against Germany July 12, 1941 Moscow Atlantic Charter of the USA and Great Britain August 14, 1941, which was joined by the USSR on September 24, 1941 Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers of the USSR, England, USA September 29 - October 1, 1941 Beginning of deliveries to the USSR under Lend-Lease from the USA Signing of the Washington Declaration of 26 states on the goals of the war against fascism January 1, 1942 Soviet-British treaty of alliance in the war against Germany May 26, 1942 London Soviet -American agreement on the principles of mutual assistance in the conduct of war against aggression June 11, 1942 Washington
The Anti-Tler coalition is a union of states and peoples who fought in the Second World War of 1939 - 1945 against the Axis bloc of Germany, Italy, Japan and their satellites. Changes in the territory controlled by the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition (green) and the Axis countries (red) during the Second World War.
Development of the war economy During 1942, the forces of the anti-fascist coalition increased. The USSR restored a significant part of the enterprises removed from the occupied areas. New factories, mines, and railways were built. Evacuated plant in a new location
Development of the military economy Women replaced husbands who had gone to the front at the machine. The slogan “Everything for the front, everything for Victory” became the motto of life. Tank column built with money from collective farmers
Development of the military economy New models of tanks, aircraft, and artillery pieces that were not inferior to or superior to German ones were adopted into service with the Soviet Army. Assembly of KV tanks in the workshop of the Kirov plant In the workshop of the aircraft plant
Development of the military economy British industry was able to meet the needs of the armed forces. The US economy developed at an even faster pace. At the expense of state funds, military factories were built and entire industries were created. American women at an aircraft factory By the fall of 1942, the USSR, USA, and Great Britain were producing 5 times more artillery pieces and mortars, 3 times more aircraft and almost 10 times more tanks than Germany, Italy and Japan combined.
Development of the military economy Some of the weapons and equipment produced in America and England were sent under Lend-Lease to the USSR. The main directions of Lend-Lease 400 thousand cars 18.7 thousand aircraft over 10 thousand tanks industrial equipment
A radical turning point in the war Periodization of the Great Patriotic War II period (from November 19, 1942 to the end of 1943) November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943 Counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Stalingrad.
On November 19, 1942, Soviet troops went on the offensive and surrounded the 330 thousand German group. On February 2, 1943, the Germans, led by Field Marshal Paulus, capitulated. The radical turning point in the war was Stalingrad. Fights for every house Columns of captured Germans on the streets of Stalingrad. February 1943
Radical turning point in the war Periodization of the Great Patriotic War II period (from November 19, 1942 to the end of 1943) July 5 - August 23, 1943 Battle of Kursk. Mastery of the strategic initiative by the Soviet army. Offensive along the entire front. Battle of Prokhorovka July 12, 1943
Radical turning point in the war Periodization of the Great Patriotic War II period (from November 19, 1942 to the end of 1943) Summer - autumn 1943 Liberation of Orel, Belgorod, Kharkov, Smolensk, Kyiv. The offensive of Soviet troops in July–December 1943
A radical turning point in the war. Simultaneously with the Soviet troops, the armed forces of England and the United States went on the offensive. On November 8, 1942, American troops under the command of D. Eisenhower landed in North Africa, in the French possessions of Morocco and Algeria. Interacting with the British troops of General B. Montgomery advancing from Egypt, the Americans defeated the Italian-German group near El Alamein in North Africa in November 1942.
A radical turning point in the war March-May 1943 - the offensive of Anglo-American troops in Tunisia The capture of North Africa provided the Allies with control over the Mediterranean and opened the way for the invasion of Italy.
The radical turning point in the war was July 10, 1943 - the landing of Anglo-American troops in southern Italy. Some of the leaders of the fascist party and army, with the support of the king, organized a conspiracy to eliminate Mussolini, break with Germany and go over to the side of England and the USA. By order of the king, Mussolini was arrested. The king appointed Marshal Badoglio as head of government, who entered into secret negotiations with England and the USA. September 8, 1943 – Italy signs an armistice agreement and withdrawal from the war.
A radical turning point in the war. In response, German troops occupied Northern and Central Italy and blocked the path of Anglo-American troops moving from Southern Italy to the north. A front arose that divided Italy into 2 parts.
The Second Front in Europe The victories of the Red Army and the rise of the Resistance movement in the occupied countries changed the attitude of England and the United States to the problem of the second front. November - December 1943 - Tehran Conference Decisions: opening of a second front in France by the summer of 1944, Stalin's promise to enter the war with Japan after the end of the war in Europe. Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill in Tehran
Second Front in Europe June 6, 1944 - landing of Anglo-American troops in Normandy in northern France.
Plot against Hitler July 20, 1944 - assassination attempt on Hitler Colonel Stauffenberg Hitler's Headquarters July 20, 1944
Second Front in Europe August 15, 1944 – landing of the American and French armies in the south of France. Charles de Gaulle in liberated Paris. November 1944
USSR at the final stage of World War II The superiority of the Soviet Red Army by the beginning of 1944
USSR at the final stage of the war Periodization of the Great Patriotic War III period (from January 1944 to May 9, 1945) January 1944 Lifting the blockade of Leningrad. German troops were driven back to Narva and Pskov. V. Perov. Breaking the blockade of Leningrad
USSR at the final stage of the war Periodization of the Great Patriotic War III period (from January 1944 to May 9, 1945) February - March 1944 Korsun-Shevchenko operation. Liberation of Right Bank Ukraine and Crimea
Periodization of the Great Patriotic War III period (from January 1944 to May 9, 1945) April - May 1944. Defeat of German troops in Crimea. Liberation of Right Bank Ukraine and Crimea. USSR at the final stage of the war
USSR at the final stage of the war Periodization of the Great Patriotic War III period (from January 1944 to May 9, 1945) June 1944 Offensive on the Karelian Isthmus. Capture of Vyborg, Petrozavodsk. Peace negotiations with Finland. Soviet poster
August 23, 1939.
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact and a secret annex to it, according to which Europe is divided into spheres of influence.
September 1, 1939.
Germany invades Poland, starting World War II in Europe.
September 3, 1939.
Fulfilling their obligations to Poland, Great Britain and France declare war on Germany.
September 27-29, 1939.
On September 27, Warsaw surrenders. The Polish government goes into exile through Romania. Germany and the Soviet Union divide Poland between themselves.
November 30, 1939 - March 12, 1940.
The Soviet Union attacks Finland, starting the so-called Winter War. The Finns ask for a truce and are forced to cede the Karelian Isthmus and the northern shore of Lake Ladoga to the Soviet Union.
April 9 - June 9, 1940.
Germany invades Denmark and Norway. Denmark surrenders on the day of the attack; Norway resists until June 9.
May 10 - June 22, 1940.
Germany invades Western Europe - France and the neutral Benelux countries. Luxembourg occupied on May 10; The Netherlands surrenders on May 14; Belgium - May 28. On June 22, France signs an armistice agreement, according to which German troops occupy the northern part of the country and the entire Atlantic coast. A collaborationist regime is established in the southern part of France with its capital in the city of Vichy.
June 28, 1940.
The USSR forces Romania to cede the eastern region of Bessarabia and the northern half of Bukovina to Soviet Ukraine.
June 14 - August 6, 1940.
On June 14-18, the Soviet Union occupies the Baltic states, stages a communist coup in each of them on July 14-15, and then, on August 3-6, annexes them as Soviet republics.
July 10 - October 31, 1940.
The air war against England, known as the Battle of Britain, ends in the defeat of Nazi Germany.
August 30, 1940.
Second Vienna Arbitration: Germany and Italy decide to divide disputed Transylvania between Romania and Hungary. The loss of northern Transylvania leads to the fact that the Romanian king Carol II abdicates the throne in favor of his son Mihai, and the dictatorial regime of General Ion Antonescu comes to power.
September 13, 1940.
The Italians attack British-controlled Egypt from their own-controlled Libya.
November 1940.
Slovakia (November 23), Hungary (November 20) and Romania (November 22) join the German coalition.
February 1941.
Germany sends its Afrika Korps to northern Africa to support the hesitant Italians.
April 6 - June 1941.
Germany, Italy, Hungary and Bulgaria invade and divide Yugoslavia. April 17 Yugoslavia capitulates. Germany and Bulgaria attack Greece, helping the Italians. Greece ends resistance in early June 1941.
April 10, 1941.
The leaders of the Ustasha terrorist movement proclaim the so-called Independent State of Croatia. Immediately recognized by Germany and Italy, the new state also includes Bosnia and Herzegovina. Croatia officially joins the Axis powers on June 15, 1941.
June 22 - November 1941.
Nazi Germany and its allies (with the exception of Bulgaria) attack the Soviet Union. Finland, seeking to regain territory lost during the Winter War, joins the Axis just before the invasion. The Germans quickly captured the Baltic states and by September, with the support of the joining Finns, besieged Leningrad (St. Petersburg). On the central front, German troops occupied Smolensk in early August and approached Moscow by October. In the south, German and Romanian troops captured Kyiv in September, and Rostov-on-Don in November.
December 6, 1941.
The counteroffensive launched by the Soviet Union forces the Nazis to retreat from Moscow in disarray.
December 8, 1941.
The United States declares war on Japan and enters World War II. Japanese troops land in the Philippines, French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) and British Singapore. By April 1942, the Philippines, Indochina and Singapore were occupied by the Japanese.
December 11-13, 1941.
Nazi Germany and its allies declare war on the United States.
May 30, 1942 - May 1945.
The British bomb Cologne, thus bringing hostilities into Germany itself for the first time. Over the next three years, Anglo-American aircraft almost completely destroy large German cities.
June 1942
British and American naval forces stop the advance of the Japanese fleet in the central Pacific Ocean near the Midway Islands.
June 28 - September 1942
Germany and its allies are launching a new offensive in the Soviet Union. By mid-September, German troops make their way to Stalingrad (Volgograd) on the Volga and invade the Caucasus, having previously captured the Crimean peninsula.
August - November 1942
American troops stop the Japanese advance towards Australia at the Battle of Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands).
October 23-24, 1942.
The British army defeats Germany and Italy at the Battle of El Alamein (Egypt), forcing the forces of the fascist bloc into a disorderly retreat through Libya to the eastern border of Tunisia.
November 8, 1942.
American and British troops land at several locations on the coasts of Algeria and Morocco in French North Africa. A failed attempt by the Vichy French army to thwart the invasion allows the Allies to quickly reach the western border of Tunisia and results in Germany occupying southern France on November 11th.
November 23, 1942 - February 2, 1943.
The Soviet army counterattacks, breaks through the lines of Hungarian and Romanian troops north and south of Stalingrad and blocks the German Sixth Army in the city. The remnants of the Sixth Army, which Hitler had forbidden to retreat or try to break out of encirclement, capitulate on January 30 and February 2, 1943.
May 13, 1943.
The troops of the fascist bloc in Tunisia surrender to the Allies, ending the North African campaign.
July 10, 1943.
American and British troops land in Sicily. By mid-August, the Allies take control of Sicily.
July 5, 1943.
German troops launch a massive tank attack near Kursk. The Soviet army repels the attack for a week and then goes on the offensive.
July 25, 1943.
The Grand Council of the Italian Fascist Party removes Benito Mussolini and assigns Marshal Pietro Badoglio to form a new government.
September 8, 1943.
Badoglio's government unconditionally capitulates to the Allies. Germany immediately seizes control of Rome and northern Italy, establishing a puppet regime led by Mussolini, who was released from prison by a German sabotage unit on September 12.
March 19, 1944.
Anticipating Hungary's intention to leave the Axis coalition, Germany occupies Hungary and forces its ruler, Admiral Miklós Horthy, to appoint a pro-German prime minister.
June 4, 1944.
Allied troops liberate Rome. Anglo-American bombers hit targets in eastern Germany for the first time; this continues for six weeks.
June 6, 1944.
British and American troops successfully land on the coast of Normandy (France), opening a Second Front against Germany.
June 22, 1944.
Soviet troops launch a massive offensive in Belarus (Belarus), destroying the German Army of Group Center, and by August 1 head west to the Vistula and Warsaw (central Poland).
July 25, 1944.
The Anglo-American army breaks out of the Normandy bridgehead and moves east towards Paris.
August 1 - October 5, 1944.
The Polish anti-communist Home Army rebels against the German regime, trying to liberate Warsaw before the Soviet troops arrive. The advance of the Soviet army is suspended on the eastern bank of the Vistula. On October 5, the remnants of the Home Army that fought in Warsaw surrender to the Germans.
August 15, 1944.
Allied forces land in southern France near Nice and quickly move northeast towards the Rhine.
August 20-25, 1944.
Allied troops reach Paris. On August 25, the French Free Army, with the support of the Allied forces, enters Paris. By September the Allies reach the German border; by December, virtually all of France, most of Belgium and parts of the southern Netherlands were liberated.
August 23, 1944.
The appearance of the Soviet army on the Prut River prompts the Romanian opposition to overthrow the Antonescu regime. The new government concludes a truce and immediately goes over to the Allied side. This turn of Romanian policy forces Bulgaria to surrender on September 8, and Germany to leave the territory of Greece, Albania and southern Yugoslavia in October.
August 29 - October 27, 1944.
Underground units of the Slovak Resistance, under the leadership of the Slovak National Council, which includes both communists and anti-communists, rebel against the German authorities and the local fascist regime. On October 27, the Germans captured the town of Banska Bystrica, where the rebels' headquarters were located, and suppressed organized resistance.
September 12, 1944.
Finland concludes a truce with the Soviet Union and leaves the Axis coalition.
October 15, 1944.
The Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross party stages a pro-German coup d'état to prevent the Hungarian government from negotiating surrender with the Soviet Union.
December 16, 1944.
Germany launches a final offensive on the western front, known as the Battle of the Bulge, in an attempt to recapture Belgium and divide the Allied forces stationed along the German border. By January 1, 1945, the Germans were forced to retreat.
January 12, 1945.
The Soviet army launches a new offensive: in January it liberates Warsaw and Krakow; February 13, after a two-month siege, captures Budapest; in early April expels the Germans and Hungarian collaborators from Hungary; taking Bratislava on April 4, forces Slovakia to capitulate; April 13 enters Vienna.
April 1945.
Partisan troops led by Yugoslav communist leader Josip Broz Tito capture Zagreb and overthrow the Ustasha regime. The leaders of the Ustasha party flee to Italy and Austria.
May 1945.
Allied forces capture Okinawa, the last island on the way to the Japanese archipelago.
September 2, 1945.
Japan, having agreed to the terms of unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, officially capitulates, thereby putting an end to World War II.
Specific plans for the use of the Wehrmacht in the war against Poland were developed in Germany in April-June 1939. The strategic plan and tasks of the troops in Operation Weiss were set out in the directive on the strategic concentration and deployment of ground forces dated June 15, 1939: “The purpose of the operation is "is the destruction of the Polish armed forces. The political leadership demands to start the war with sudden, powerful blows and achieve quick success."
Two army groups were deployed to carry out Operation Weiss. Army Group North (commander - Colonel General Fedor von Bock) was deployed in Pomerania and East Prussia, consisting of the 3rd (commander - Colonel General Georg von Küchler) and 4th (commander - Colonel General Gunther von Kluge) armies. Army Group South (commander - Colonel General Gerd von Runstedt) was concentrated in Silesia and Slovakia, consisting of the 8th (commander - Colonel General Johann Blaskowitz), 10th (commander - Colonel General Walter von Reichenau) and 14 th (commander - Colonel General Wilhelm List) armies. It was Army Group South that was to deliver the main blow in the operation.
By September, the German command managed to complete the mobilization and deploy in the east 37 1/3 infantry (of which 14 (37.8%) were reserve), 4 light infantry, 1 mountain infantry, 6 tank and 4 2/3 motorized divisions and 1 cavalry brigade (82, 6% of planned forces). In addition, border units with a total number of 93.2 thousand people were subordinated to the ground forces.
Army Group North was supported by the 1st Air Fleet (commanded by General Albert Kesselring), which consisted of 746 aircraft (of which 720 were combat-ready); in addition, the command of the army group was subordinate to the flying units, which had 94 aircraft (83 combat-ready), and naval aviation consisted of 56 aircraft (51 combat-ready). The 4th Air Fleet (commanded by General Alexander Ler), which had 1,095 aircraft (1,000 combat-ready), interacted with Army Group South, and flying units of 240 aircraft (186 combat-ready) were subordinate to the ground units.
The concentration and mobilization of the Wehrmacht was carried out in compliance with camouflage and disinformation measures, so as not to provoke retaliatory actions from Poland. However, Polish intelligence generally correctly established the number of German groups deployed on the border. From the end of February 1939, the Polish command began to develop a specific plan for the war with Germany - “West”. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, changes were made to this document to take into account the current situation. The formation of the Anglo-Franco-Polish coalition, which began in March 1939, led to the fact that Polish military planning was based on the expectation that England and France would support Poland in the war with Germany.
The Polish armed forces were tasked with a stubborn defense to ensure the mobilization deployment and concentration of their troops, and then launch a counteroffensive, since it was believed that by this time England and France would force Germany to pull their troops to the west.
To implement this plan, it was planned to deploy 39 infantry divisions, 3 mountain infantry, 11 cavalry, 10 border and 2 armored motorized brigades. These troops were to be organized into seven armies, three task forces and an invasion corps. Operational groups "Narev" (2 infantry divisions, 2 cavalry brigades), "Wyszkow" (2 infantry divisions) and the army "Modlin" (2 infantry divisions, 2 cavalry brigades; commander - Brigade General Emil Przedzimirski-Krukovich) were deployed against East Prussia. The “Pomože” army was concentrated in the “Polish corridor” (5 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry brigade; commander - Brigade General Vladislav Bortnovsky), part of whose forces were intended to capture Danzig. The Poznan Army was deployed in the Berlin direction (4 infantry divisions and 2 cavalry brigades; commander - Division General Tadeusz Kutsheba). The border with Silesia and Slovakia was covered by the Lodz Army (5 infantry divisions, 2 cavalry brigades; commander - Division General Juliusz Rummel), the Krakow Army (7 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry brigade and 1 tank battalion; commander - Brigade General Antoni Schilling) and army "Carpathians" (1st infantry division and border units; commander - Brigade General Kazimierz Fabrycy). In the rear south of Warsaw, the Prussian army was deployed (7 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry brigade and 1 armored brigade; commander - division general Stefan Domb Bernacki). In the areas of Kutno and Tarnow, 2 infantry divisions were concentrated in reserve. Thus, the Polish army had to deploy evenly on a wide front, which made repelling massive Wehrmacht attacks problematic.
By the morning of September 1, Poland deployed 22 2/3 infantry divisions, 3 mountain infantry, 10 cavalry and 1 armored motorized brigades on the border. In addition, 3 infantry divisions (13th, 19th, 29th) and the Vilna Cavalry Brigade were concentrated in the central regions of the country, while the remaining formations continued to mobilize or were on the move by rail.
Estimated divisions: Germany - 53.1; Poland - 29.3.
Personnel (thousands of people): Germany - 1516; Poland - 840.
Guns and mortars: Germany - 9824; Poland - 2840.
Tanks: Germany - 2379; Poland - 475.
Aircraft: Germany - 2231, Poland - 463.
At 4.30 am on September 1, 1939, the German Air Force launched a massive attack on Polish airfields; at 4.45 am, the training artillery ship (former battleship) Schleswig Holstein opened fire on the Westerplatte peninsula in Gdansk Bay, at the same time German ground forces crossed the Polish border.
Due to difficult weather conditions, the 1st Air Fleet was able to lift only a small part of the aircraft into the air in the morning hours. At 6 o'clock, German paratroopers began an operation to capture the bridge over the Vistula near the city of Tczewa (German name - Dirschau) 50 km south of Gdansk. By 7.30, the Polish defense was broken through, but at the moment when the Wehrmacht soldiers had already captured the bridge, the Polish captain commanding its defense managed to activate the explosive device. The bridge collapsed into the river.
On the southern sector of the front, three aviation groups of the 4th Air Fleet attacked airfields in Katowice and Krakow, where they destroyed 17 Polish aircraft and hangars. As the sun rose the weather improved. New air squadrons were involved in the attacks, but the attempt to take Polish aviation completely by surprise failed, since the German Air Force was unable to attack all Polish air bases at the same time. Air supremacy was seized by German aviation in the following days due to the quantitative and technical superiority of German aircraft over Polish ones.
With the beginning of the air force attacks, the ground forces also went on the offensive. They crossed the border and, having delivered their first blow, began fighting with Polish units defending forward positions. On September 1, German troops entered Danzig, which was declared part of the Third Reich. However, the Polish military warehouses at Westerplatte at the mouth of the Vistula, despite attacks and shelling from land and sea, could not be captured. There, 182 Polish soldiers defended themselves in concrete and field fortifications, armed with 4 mortars, 3 guns and 41 machine guns. For a week, the Poles resisted almost 4 thousand Wehrmacht soldiers, and only when the ammunition ran out and the Germans used flamethrowers did the Poles capitulate on September 7 at 10.15.
Three main centers of struggle formed in the northern sectors of the German-Polish front. One - in the Mlawa area, where the Modlin army fought against the main forces of the 3rd German Army, advancing from East Prussia to the south; the second - northeast of Grudziadz, where the right-flank formations of the Polish army "Pomoże" fought with the German 21st Army Corps of the same 3rd Army; the third - in the area of the "Polish corridor", where the left-flank group of the Pomože army met the attacks of the main forces of the 4th German Army.
Frontal attacks by three German infantry and one tank divisions against the Mława defensive positions, defended by the Polish 20th Infantry Division and the Masovian Cavalry Brigade, did not bring the Germans the expected success. The rapid breakthrough of the 3rd German Army to Pułtusk and Warsaw failed. The Polish group "Wschud" also quite successfully repelled the attacks of the 21st Army Corps on Grudziadz.
The 4th German Army advancing from Pomerania had the 19th Motorized Corps as a strike group. The Pomože armada that opposed it had only the 9th Infantry Division and the Czersk task force located just to the north in the western part of the corridor. At dawn, two motorized and one tank divisions of the 19th Motorized Corps, as well as two infantry divisions, moved towards them. German troops had an overwhelming superiority over the Polish ones, and yet the German offensive initially met stubborn resistance. The Uhlan regiment of the Pomeranian Cavalry Brigade, in deployed formation, attacked the German 20th Motorized Division, but, met by armored vehicle fire, died, led by its commander. The advance detachment of the Polish 9th Infantry Division twice repulsed attacks by large German forces and then retreated to the main position.
At the headquarters of the Pomože Army, the main events were expected in the north, in the Danzig area. Therefore, the news received from aerial reconnaissance about the advance of a large German tank column in the south, from the Sepolno area, came as a complete surprise to the army commander, General Bortnovsky. With the onset of darkness, the Germans broke the resistance of the Polish infantry and an advanced tank detachment broke through 90 km to Svekatovo. German troops achieved success relatively quickly in this corridor.
On the southern section of the German-Polish front, the main blow in the direction of Czestochowa and Warsaw was delivered by the 10th Army, which had the largest number of tank and motorized formations. The army's task was to reach the Vistula as soon as possible in the area between the mouths of the Bzura and Wieprz rivers. The 8th Army was deployed to the north. It had the task of attacking Lodz, as well as covering the northern flank of the 10th Army. The 14th Army was to strike in the direction of Krakow, defeat enemy forces in Upper Silesia, seize crossings on the Dunajec River and develop an offensive towards Sandomierz, trying to prevent the creation of Polish defenses on the borders of the San and Vistula rivers.
The 10th Army was opposed by the main forces of the Polish army "Lodz" and part of the forces of the army "Krakow". Particularly stubborn battles ensued on that section of the front where the 10th Army attacked with the 16th Motorized Corps. The 4th Panzer Division attacked the Volyn Cavalry Brigade from 8 o'clock in the Mokra area. The German advance detachment was driven back by the Uhlan regiment. Two hours later, the same cavalry regiment repelled a repeated tank attack with artillery fire. There were 12 German tanks left on the battlefield. Around noon, German units again went on the attack without reconnaissance. The tanks moved in dense formations and came under fire from Polish batteries. At about 3 p.m., the 4th Panzer Division resumed attacks by the Volyn Brigade. A compact mass of German tanks and motorized infantry, supported by fire from six batteries, attacked the 12th and 21st Uhlan regiments east of the village of Mokra and soon reached the Klobucka area. Towards evening, the commander of the Polish cavalry brigade organized a counterattack. The counterattack was successful - the German tanks retreated.
On the left flank of the Lodz army, into an 8-kilometer open space at the junction with the Krakow army, the 1st German tank division was advancing. Moving forward, it created a threat to the flanks of the Lodz and Krakow armies.
At the same time, the troops of the Krakow Army entered into action, meeting the attack directly at the main positions advanced to the border. By the evening of September 1, the northern and central sections of the Krakow army were broken through.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
On September 1, 1939, German troops launched the invasion of Poland. This day is officially considered the date of the beginning of World War II - the largest armed conflict in human history.
Back on May 23, 1939, a meeting was held in Hitler’s office in the presence of a number of senior officers, at which the concept of an exclusively military solution to the “Polish question” was finally adopted. Although it was noted that “the Polish problem is closely connected with the inevitable conflict with England and France, a quick victory over which is problematic,” the final conclusion was clear: “Poland is unlikely to be able to act as a barrier against Bolshevism. Currently, the task of German foreign policy is to expand living space to the East, ensure a guaranteed food supply and eliminate the threat from the East. Poland must be captured at the first opportunity."
On August 23, a non-aggression treaty was signed between Germany and the USSR, in which the parties agreed on non-aggression against each other (including in the event of the outbreak of military action by one of the parties against third countries, which was a common practice in German treaties in that time). The secret additional protocol to the agreement between the USSR and Germany established the division of spheres of interest in Europe.
On August 31, the German press reported: “...on Thursday at approximately 20 o’clock the premises of the radio station in Gleiwitz were captured by the Poles.” In fact, these were SS men dressed in Polish uniforms, led by Alfred Naujoks.
Using the Gleiwitz incident as a pretext, on the morning of September 1, 1939, German ground troops crossed the Polish border. By this, Germany, in turn, provokes a declaration of war against itself from England, France and other countries that had an alliance with Poland.
At 04:26, the first Luftwaffe combat flight was made by a flight of Ju-87 dive bombers under Lieutenant Dilley (carried out the first bomb drop in the war). The target was Polish control posts located at the Dirschau (Tczew) railway station. At the same time, German ace Frank Neubert shot down the first aircraft - a Polish PZL P.11C fighter.
On September 1, at 4:45 a.m., a German training ship, the obsolete battleship Schleswig-Holstein, which arrived in Danzig on a friendly visit and was greeted with enthusiasm by the local population, opens fire on the Polish fortifications on Westerplatte. The German armed forces invade Poland, and at the same time, Slovak troops actively participate in the fighting on the German side.
On September 1, Hitler speaks in the Reichstag in military uniform. To justify the attack on Poland, Hitler refers to the incident in Gleiwitz. At the same time, he carefully avoids the term “war,” as if giving the opportunity to the governments of England and France, who gave Poland the appropriate guarantees, to avoid entering into a military conflict. The order he issued spoke only of “active defense” against Polish aggression.
Mussolini proposed convening a conference for a peaceful solution to the Polish question, which was supported by the Western powers, but Hitler refused, saying that it was inappropriate to represent what had been won by arms as gained by diplomacy. With these statements, he left Paris and London virtually no space for political maneuver - a major war in Europe was becoming inevitable.
The outbreak of the war caused an immediate reaction in the USSR, where universal conscription was introduced on September 1. At the same time, the conscription age has been reduced from 21 to 19 years, and for some categories - to 18 years. The law immediately came into force, and in a short time the strength of the Red Army reached 5 million people, which amounted to about 3% of the population.
On September 3 at 9 o'clock England, at 12:20 France, as well as Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany. Within a few days they will be joined by Canada, Newfoundland, the Union of South Africa and Nepal. The Second World War became an obvious fact, which was an unpleasant surprise for the leadership of the Reich. Apparently, Hitler and his entourage were absolutely confident that the Allies would not fulfill their obligations towards Poland and would not dare to enter the war. In this case, the matter could well end in a second Munich.
The chief translator of the German Foreign Office, Paul Schmidt, describes the state of shock into which Hitler came when British Ambassador Neville Henderson, appearing at the Reich Chancellery at 9 a.m. on September 3, conveyed an ultimatum from his government demanding the withdrawal of troops from Polish territory to their original positions. Only Goering, who was present, was able to say: “If we lose this war, then we can only rely on the mercy of God.”