Once upon a time, in the post-war years, about "Ten Stalinist blows" every Soviet person knew. They aroused great pride in our hearts for our country, they were studied in schools, and special maps with red directional arrows were issued. our "strikes".

Now times are different. But even today, hardly anyone has not at least once heard about “Stalin’s Ten Blows.” True, rather in a nominal sense. Which, on the one hand, seems to immediately focus on some complex interpersonal confrontations, and on the other hand - in a simplified understanding - implies on someone’s part such an irresistible onslaught and something so indestructible that there is no salvation from them, and resistance is useless . Like a hail of boxing blows leading to an inevitable knockout, after which number 10- the final blow of the gong recognizing complete surrender. Well, this is essentially correct. Although it’s a very primitive and common noun.

And there was an expression about "Ten Strikes", strictly speaking, after these "blows" those. corresponding offensive operations of the Soviet troops, were held. Throughout 1944, without any terminology "blows" operations were planned and carried out based on the logic of events and general tasks for that year. First "10 strikes of the Soviet Army" - How a number of major strategic operations of 1944, which were held from January 14 to October 29 and became decisive in the approaching capitulation of Germany - were listed by I. Stalin in the first part of the report for the 27th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution on November 6 at the ceremonial meeting of the Moscow Council of Working People's Deputies. (By the way, it was in this report that Stalin first announced the need to hoist the Victory Banner over the Reichstag.) And then - since all operations were carried out according to a single plan of the Headquarters under the general leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I. Stalin, who, among other things, was personally involved in fundamentally new forms strategic actions - operations of front groups - these "10 strikes" first found their name as “Ten Stalinist blows of the Soviet army”, and entered the popular consciousness with a shorter name - as "Ten Stalinist blows." Let us remember them today.

STRIKE FIRST. Leningrad-Novgorod operation. January 14-February 29

Offensive actions were carried out by troops of the Leningrad (Army General L. Govorov), Volkhov (Army General K. Meretskov) and 2nd Baltic (Army General M. Popov) fronts in cooperation with the Baltic Fleet (Admiral V. Tributs). Involved 1.25 million Soviet troops The result of the operation was the lifting of the blockade of Leningrad and the liberation of the Leningrad region, including Novgorod. Favorable conditions were created for the liberation of the Baltic states and the defeat of the enemy in Karelia.

STRIKE TWO. Korsun-Shevchenko operation. January 24 - February 17

Offensive actions were carried out by troops of the 1st Ukrainian (Army General N. Vatutin) and 2nd Ukrainian (Army General I. Konev) fronts. 255 thousand Soviet troops involved. The entire Right Bank of Ukraine was liberated and conditions were created for a subsequent attack in Belarus and the defeat of German troops in the Crimea and near Odessa.

STRIKE THIRD. Odessa operation. March 26-April 16

Offensive actions were carried out by troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front (Army General R. Malinovsky) in cooperation with the 2nd Ukrainian Front (Army General I. Konev), as well as with the Black Sea Flotilla (Admiral F. Oktyabrsky). Involved up to 200 thousand Soviet troops. At the final stage of the Odessa operation, the Crimean operation. April 8 - 12 May. Offensive actions were carried out by troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front (Army General F. Tolbukhin) and the Separate Primorsky Army (Army General A Eremenko), supported by the Azov Military Flotilla (Rear Admiral S. Gorshkov). Involved 470 thousand Soviet troops. During both operations, Odessa, Nikolaev, Crimea, and Sevastopol were liberated.

STRIKE FOUR. Vyborg-Petrozavodsk operation. June 10-August 9

It was carried out taking into account the drop of the Anglo-American landing across the English Channel on June 6 and the opening of the Second Front - so that the Germans would not be able to transfer their units to the West to repel it. Offensive actions were carried out by troops of the Leningrad Front (Marshal L. Govorov) - on the Karelian Isthmus and the Karelian Front (Marshal K. Meretskov) - in the Svir-Petrozavodsk direction, with the assistance of the Baltic Fleet (Admiral V. Tributs), Ladoga (Rear Admiral V. Cherokov) and Onega (captain 1st rank N. Antonov) military flotillas. Involved 450 thousand Soviet troops. The “Mannerheim Line” was broken, the cities of Vyborg, Petrozavodsk and most of the Karelo-Finnish SSR were liberated. The defeat forced the Finnish government to withdraw from the war.

STRIKE FIFTH. Belarusian operation ("Bagration"). June 23-August 29.

Offensive actions were carried out by troops of the 1st Baltic (Army General I. Bagramyan), 1st Belorussian (Marshal K. Rokossovsky), 2nd Belorussian (Army General G. Zakharov) and 3rd Belorussian (Army General I. Chernyakhovsky) fronts supported by the Dnieper military flotilla (Rear Admiral V. Grigoriev). Involved 2.4 million Soviet troops. 30 enemy divisions east of Minsk were destroyed. The Byelorussian SSR, most of the Lithuanian SSR and a significant part of Poland were liberated. Soviet troops crossed the Neman, reached the Vistula and directly to the borders of Germany - East Prussia.

STRIKE SIX. Lviv-Sandomierz operation. July 13-August 29

Offensive actions were carried out by troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front (Marshal I. Konev) in cooperation (from July 30) with the 4th Ukrainian Front (Colonel General I. Petrov). Involved 1.1 million Soviet troops. Western Ukraine was liberated, the Vistula was crossed and a powerful bridgehead was created west of the city of Sandomierz.

STROKE SEVEN. Iasi-Kishinev operation. August 20-29

Offensive actions were carried out by troops of the 2nd Ukrainian (Army General R. Malinovsky) and 3rd Ukrainian (Army General F. Tolbukhin) fronts in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet (Admiral F. Oktyabrsky) and the Danube Military Flotilla (Rear Admiral S. Gorshkov ). Involved 1.25 million Soviet troops. The Moldavian SSR was liberated. Then, already within Romanian operation support was provided for the anti-fascist uprising in Romania August 23. 34 Soviet divisions remained to destroy the encircled Chisinau enemy group, and 50 divisions - mainly of the 3rd Ukrainian Front - crossed the border of Romania, occupied the port of Constanta, Ploesti and a number of other cities and liberated significant Romanian territories. The incident disabled Germany's allies - Romania and Bulgaria and opened the way for Soviet troops to Hungary and the Balkans.

STRIKE EIGHTH. Baltic operation. September 14-November 24

Offensive operations were carried out by troops of the Leningrad (Marshal L. Govorov), 1st Baltic (Army General I. Bagramyan), 2nd Baltic (Army General A. Eremenko) and 3rd Baltic (Army General I. Maslennikov) fronts, with support of the 3rd Belorussian Front (Army General I. Chernyakhovsky) and the Baltic Fleet (Admiral V. Tributs). Involved 900 thousand Soviet troops. Tallinn, Memel, Riga, Moonsund and a number of other operations were carried out. More than 30 enemy divisions were defeated. The result of the operation was the liberation of the Estonian SSR, the Lithuanian SSR, and most of the Latvian SSR. Finland was forced to break with Germany and declare war on it. The Germans who took refuge were isolated in East Prussia and the Courland Pocket (Latvia).

STRIKE NINE. East Carpathian operation. September 8-28

Offensive actions were carried out by troops of the 1st Ukrainian (Marshal I. Konev) and 4th Ukrainian (Army General I. Petrov) fronts. Involved 246 thousand Soviet troops. Immediately after the completion of the operation in the Carpathians, Belgrade operation . September 28 - October 20, carried out by the 3rd Ukrainian Front (Marshal F. Tolbukhin). More than 660 thousand Soviet and Yugoslav troops. As a result of the operations carried out, Transcarpathian Ukraine was liberated and assistance was provided to the Slovak national uprising August 20 and part of Eastern Slovakia was liberated, most of Hungary was cleared, assistance was provided in the liberation of Czechoslovakia, Serbia was liberated and Belgrade was captured on October 20. Our troops entered the territory of Czechoslovakia and conditions were created for its subsequent liberation, striking in the Budapest direction, in Austria and southern Germany.

STRIKE TENTH. Petsamo-Kirkenes operation. October 7-29

Offensive actions were carried out by troops of the Karelian Front (Marshal K. Meretskov) and ships of the Northern Fleet (Admiral A. Golovko). Involved 107 thousand Soviet troops. The Soviet Arctic was liberated, the threat to the port of Murmansk was eliminated, enemy troops in Northern Finland were defeated, the Pechenga region was liberated, and the city of Petsamo (Pechenga) was taken. Soviet troops entered Northern Norway.

As a result of these “Ten Stalinist Strikes,” almost the entire territory of the USSR was liberated from the invaders. 136 enemy divisions were defeated and liquidated, of which 70 were surrounded and destroyed. Romania, Finland and Bulgaria went over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition. The successes of 1944 predetermined the final defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.

And now you read these meager lines of the list of operations - and it’s simply breathtaking. What power it was! What power! What indestructibility! And what names are legends! And what is the rate of movement of troops, the timing and scale of the battles won! And the blows were really powerful, truly steel, Stalinist. In which millions of people, hundreds of thousands of pieces of military equipment were involved, and - most importantly! - traveled hundreds of kilometers to the West. To Berlin! To Hitler's lair.

And all this happened! And all this is WE! And what was the geography of our great country: from the Arctic and Murmansk - to Odessa and Crimea, from the Barents Sea - to the Black Sea.

And most importantly: then WE WERE ALL TOGETHER! In one country - and without any idiotic borders between people.

In today's Russia, all this seems almost like a fairy tale. What kind of “blows” can we have now? For whom, for what? Unless the current policemen - because of their own protesting people. And therefore all that remains is to bow low to those great "Stalin's blows" and tell them Thank you. For the fact that They were in our History, and for the Memory of Them, which still somehow helps us feel involved in the greatness of our victorious people and survive - living today.

Operations at the final stage of the war, when the strategic initiative completely passed into the hands of the Soviet command. As a result, the territory of the USSR and a number of European countries was liberated and Nazi Germany was defeated.

The end of the siege of Leningrad.

At the very beginning of 1944, Soviet troops seized the initiative and never let it go. The winter campaign of 1944 was marked by major victories of the Red Army. Of the 10 strikes (referred to as “Stalinist” in Soviet historiography), the first was struck against the enemy near Leningrad and Novgorod in January. As a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod operation, Soviet troops, having broken through the enemy’s defenses at a front of up to 60 km, threw him back 220-280 km from Leningrad, and to the south of Lake. Ilmen - 180 km, the 900-day blockade of the hero city was completely lifted. The troops of the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic fronts (commanders L. Govorov, K. Meretskov, M. Popov), in cooperation with the Baltic Front, cleared the western part of the Leningrad region from the enemy, liberated Kalininskaya, entered Estonia, marking the beginning of liberation from the occupiers Baltic republics. The defeat of Army Group North (26 divisions were defeated, 3 divisions were completely destroyed) undermined the position of Nazi Germany in Finland and the Scandinavian Peninsula.

Liberation of Right Bank Ukraine.

The second blow represented a series of major offensive operations carried out in February-March in the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky area and on the Southern Bug, brilliantly carried out by troops of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts. During this operation, the entire Right Bank of Ukraine was liberated. The results far exceeded its initial goals, capturing up to half of all enemy tank and more than two-thirds of the enemy air forces operating in Right Bank Ukraine. The troops of two Ukrainian fronts not only destroyed a large enemy grouping “South” under the command of Field Marshal E. Manstein (55 thousand killed, over 18 thousand prisoners), but also defeated another 15 divisions, incl. 8 tanks operating against the outer front of the encirclement. Soviet troops reached the state border of the USSR with Romania and took up positions favorable for subsequent deep penetration into the southeastern regions of Europe - into the Balkans against Romania and against Hungary. On the night of March 28, troops crossed the border Prut River.

Liberation of Odessa, Sevastopol and Crimea.

As a result of the third strike in April-May, Odessa, Sevastopol and the entire Crimea were liberated. An attempt by Nazi troops to evacuate from Odessa by sea was thwarted by Soviet aviation, torpedo boats and submarines. On the evening of April 9, units of the 5th Shock Army broke into the northern outskirts of Odessa, and the next day the city was completely liberated. A further offensive was already developing in the Crimean direction. Particularly fierce fighting took place in the Sapun-Gora, Karavan area. On May 9, Soviet troops broke into Sevastopol and liberated it from the invaders. The remnants of the defeated Nazi 17th Army retreated to Cape Chersonesos, where 21 thousand soldiers and officers, a large amount of equipment and weapons were captured. In connection with the liquidation of the Crimean enemy group, the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front (commander F.I. Tolbukhin) were released, which made it possible to strengthen the strategic reserves of the Headquarters, improving conditions for the offensive of Soviet troops in the Balkans and the liberation of the peoples of South-Eastern Europe.

Liberation of Karelia.

The fourth blow (June 1944) was delivered by the forces of the Leningrad (commander L.A. Govorov) and Karelian fronts (commander K.A. Meretskov) against enemy bridgeheads on the Karelian Isthmus and in the area of ​​​​Ladoga and Onega lakes, which led to the liberation of more parts of Karelia and predetermined Finland’s exit from the war on the side of Germany. On September 19, Finnish President K. Mannerheim signed an armistice agreement with the USSR. On March 3, 1945, Finland entered the war with Germany on the side of the Allies. The official end of the war was the Paris Peace Treaty, signed in 1947. In this regard, an extremely unfavorable situation developed for German troops in the Arctic.

Liberation of Belarus.

The fifth strike is the Belarusian offensive operation (“Bagration”), carried out from June 23 to August 29 against Army Group Center, one of the largest in this war. The armies of four fronts took part in it: the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian (commanders K. Rokossovsky, G. Zakharov, I. Chernyakhovsky), the 1st Baltic (commander I. Bagramyan), the forces of the Dnieper military flotilla, the 1st Army Polish troops. The width of the combat front reached 1,100 km, the depth of troop advance was 550-600 km, the average daily rate of attack was 14-20 km. Due to the successes of the Ukrainian fronts in the winter of 1943/44, the German high command expected that in the summer of 1944 Soviet troops would deliver the main blow in the southwestern sector between Pripyat and the Black Sea, but would not be able to attack simultaneously along the entire front. Even when the Army Command Center became aware of the concentration of significant Soviet forces in Belarus, the German General Staff still believed that the Russians would strike primarily at Army Group Northern Ukraine. Shackled by defenses in other sectors of the Soviet-German front, the Germans no longer counted on transferring divisions from unattacked sections of the front to help. Soviet troops and partisans coped with all tasks brilliantly. 168 divisions, 12 corps and 20 brigades took part in Operation Bagration. The number of troops at the beginning of the operation was 2.3 million. As a result, one of the most powerful enemy groups, “Center,” was destroyed.

The final liberation of the territory of the USSR. The beginning of fighting in Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

In the second half of 1944, five more offensive operations were carried out - five powerful strikes against the enemy. During the sixth strike (July-August), the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front (commander I. Konev) defeated Army Group “Northern Ukraine” (commander Colonel General J. Harpe) in the Brody - Rava - Ruska - Lvov area and formed behind the Vistula , west of Sandomierz, a large bridgehead. The enemy pulled 16 divisions (including 3 tank divisions), 6 brigades of assault guns, and separate battalions of heavy tanks (T-VIB “Royal Tiger”) into this area and launched a series of strong counterattacks in order to eliminate the bridgehead. Fierce fighting broke out near Sandomierz. As a result of the fighting, Army Group “Northern Ukraine” was defeated (out of 56 divisions, 32 were defeated and 8 were destroyed). The Red Army liberated the western regions of Ukraine, the southeastern regions of Poland, seized a bridgehead on the western bank of the Vistula, creating favorable conditions for the subsequent offensive and expulsion of the Germans from Czechoslovakia and Romania and for the decisive campaign against Berlin. Soviet and Polish partisans provided significant assistance to the front troops.

As a result of the seventh strike (August), troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts (commanders R.Ya. Malinovsky and F.I. Tolbukhin) defeated German-Romanian troops in the Chisinau-Iasi region, eliminated 22 enemy divisions and entered the central regions of Romania . They captured 208.6 thousand prisoners, over 2 thousand guns, 340 tanks and assault guns, about 18 thousand vehicles. Moldova was liberated, Romania and Bulgaria capitulated. By the end of October, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, together with the Romanian units that opposed Germany, completely liberated Romania. On September 8, the Red Army entered the territory of Bulgaria. The loss of the Ploestina oil region was, from an economic point of view, a heavy defeat for Germany. The next blow in this direction was the Belgrade operation, during which Soviet and Bulgarian troops, together with units of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia (led by I.B. Tito), cut the main communication line between Thessaloniki and Belgrade, along which the fascist German command was withdrawing its troops from the south of the Balkan Peninsula.

Liberation of the Baltic states.

The eighth blow was struck against the enemy in September - October in the Baltic states by the forces of the Leningrad Front (commander K.A. Meretskov) together with the Baltic Fleet (commander Admiral V.F. Tributs). Having liberated Estonia and most of Latvia, our troops inflicted a major defeat on the German Army Group North: 26 divisions were defeated, 3 of them were completely destroyed, the rest were completely blocked along the coast in Courland, in the Memel (Klaipeda) region. The path to advance into East Prussia was open. The resistance of German troops on this section of the front was particularly fierce. By regrouping forces and counterattacks, they managed to close the gap near the Angerapp River and even recapture Goldap. No longer relying on the morale of German soldiers, the High Command of the German Armed Forces strengthened measures “to combat defectors” in December 1944. From now on, those who went over to the enemy were sentenced to death, and their families were responsible for the criminal with “property, freedom or life.”

Battle of Budapest.

In October - December, offensive operations of the 2nd Ukrainian Front (commander R.Ya. Malinovsky), associated with the ninth strike, unfolded between the Tissa and the Danube. As a result, Germany actually lost its last ally - Hungary. The battles for Budapest continued until February 13, 1945. It was not possible to take the capital of Hungary on the move, so a special Budapest group of troops was created from the formations of the 2nd Ukrainian Front and Hungarian volunteers. The battles ended with the liquidation of 188 thousand enemy groups and the liberation of Budapest. The human losses of the Red Army in this operation (October - February 1945) amounted to about half of the participating troops. The troops lost 1,766 tanks and self-propelled artillery units, 4,127 guns and mortars, and 293 combat aircraft.

Petsamo-Kirkenes operation of the Soviet troops.

The tenth blow was made by the troops of the Karelian Front (commander K. Meretskov) and the Northern Fleet (commander Vice Admiral A.G. Golovko) against the troops of the 20th German Army in the Petsamo (Pecheneg) area. From the 2nd half of September 1941 to June 1944, the troops of the Karelian Front were on the defensive at the turn of the river. Zap. Litsa (60 km west of Murmansk), along a system of rivers and lakes (90 km west of Kanadalaksha). In three years, the Nazis created a powerful three-lane defense, full of long-term structures, up to 150 km deep. In this area, the 19th Mountain Rifle Corps (53 thousand people, over 750 guns and mortars) of the 20th Nazi Mountain Army (led by Colonel General L. Rendulic) defended. It was supported by aviation (160 aircraft) and significant naval forces based in the ports of Northern Norway. During the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, Soviet troops liberated the Petsamo area and the northern regions of Norway. The enemy lost about 30 thousand people killed. The Northern Fleet sank 156 enemy ships. Aviation destroyed 125 enemy aircraft. Our successes limited the actions of the German fleet, and supplies of nickel ore were interrupted. War came to German soil. On April 13, the center of East Prussia, Koeningsberg, was taken.

As a result of military operations in 1944, the state border of the USSR, treacherously violated by Germany in June 1941, was restored all the way from the Barents to the Black Sea. The losses of the Red Army during this period of the war amounted to about 1.6 million people. The Nazis were expelled from Romania and Bulgaria, from most areas of Poland and Hungary. The Red Army entered the territory of Czechoslovakia and liberated the territory of Yugoslavia.

In 1944, it was impossible to continue the offensive in the style of the autumn of 1943, that is, simultaneously across almost the entire width of the front line with the available human and technical reserves, but a solution was found and the 1944 campaign was actually conducted by the Soviet army as a single offensive operation carried out across the entire width of more than two thousand-kilometer front. It was a complex of outwardly independent one from the other, but in reality complementary to each other strategic offensive operations, which went down in military history under the general name “Stalin’s 10 strikes.”

The Soviet plan was based on the fact that the reinforcement of the strike group would be carried out along railways radiating from Moscow - from the central regions of the country as reserves accumulated in the deep rear. Railway radii gave an equal distance to any part of the front and ensured speed and freedom of maneuver. As reserves accumulated, they were quickly sent to strengthen strike groups at the offensive sites, while the Germans could not predict or strengthen the attacked section of the front, they did not have time.

Episode 108 Stalin's first blow. Leningrad

Under Khrushchev, mention of Stalin was removed, attributing the victorious campaign of 1944 to some abstract “Soviet military science.” But we know that victory has no shortage of applicants for the right to be a parent. This defeat always, at all times and among all peoples, looks like an orphan. Meanwhile, “Stalin’s ten strikes” were distinguished not only by their innovative military thought, but also by their obvious victoriousness.

Episode 109 Stalin's second blow

It so happens that when we describe the turbulent flow of Russian history of the twentieth century, we constantly use words such as “myth” and “mythologem”. We didn’t say this in the last episode, but now it’s time to say that “Stalin’s ten blows” is also another historical myth. However, not so deceitful, although very simple - there were several more blows than Comrade Stalin indicated from the high Kremlin rostrum. The authors of the film talk about why this happened.

Episode 110 Finland leaves the war

There is a legend according to which “respectable” Finns, in accordance with Mannerheim’s order, voluntarily stopped at the border line in connection with the liberation of territories that were part of Finland before the war of thirty-nine. But this is only a legend, since the battles on the Karelian Ur line continued until November 1, 1941. You will learn about how the relations between the USSR and Finland, Stalin and Mannerheim actually developed from our film.

Episode 111. Operation Bagration

Soviet military history was filled with beautiful myths. Myths hid the truth about our past, because, in truth, it was often offensive. Now myths are created by people who want to present from an offensive perspective even what we can and should rightfully be proud of. In particular, today's revisionists like the idea of ​​​​the total superiority of the German military machine and the German military school, which the Soviet Union defeated exclusively with streams of blood and mountains of corpses. Our film tells us that this, to put it mildly, is not true.

Episode 112. Final liberation

On June 23, 1944, two and a half weeks after the Allied landing in Normandy, guns roared on the eight hundred kilometer Belarusian section of the Soviet-German front. These four Soviet fronts began to implement the plan for the strategic offensive operation “Bagration”. For the German command at all levels, the blow came as a complete surprise.

Episode 113. Baltics

For Hitler, the only real way to close the four hundred kilometer hole made by the troops of Rokossovsky and Zakharov as a result of Operation Bagration was to accept the abandonment of the Baltic states proposed by General Lindemann. But, unlike in the forties, when Hitler thought like a commander, and was able to hear a good idea even coming from an unknown Manstein, now he thought like a politician, and not a very perspicacious politician.

Know, Soviet people, that you are the descendants of fearless warriors!
Know, Soviet people, that the blood of great heroes flows in you,
Those who gave their lives for their homeland without thinking about the benefits!
Know and honor, Soviet people, the exploits of our grandfathers and fathers!

The Great Patriotic War began

The Great Patriotic War. Beginning of the war:

Hitler’s united Europe brought “European values” to the USSR

June 22, 1941. The first 4 hours of the Great Patriotic War:

Soviet people listen to the news of the treacherous attack of Hitler Germany on our Soviet Motherland

Seeing off to the front

On June 22, 1941, after a long artillery preparation, at 4.00 in the morning, German troops (United Europe), treacherously violating the non-aggression pact concluded with the USSR, attacked the Soviet-German border along its entire length from the Barents to the Black Sea. For this attack, Germany and its allies in Europe - Finland, Romania and Hungary - created an invasion army unprecedented in history: 182 divisions and 20 brigades (up to 5 million people), 47.2 thousand guns and mortars, about 4.4 thousand . combat aircraft, 4.4 thousand tanks and assault guns, and 250 ships.

In the group of Soviet troops opposing the aggressors, there were 186 divisions (3 million people), about 39.4 guns and mortars, 11 thousand tanks and more than 9.1 thousand aircraft.

On June 23, 1941, the highest body of strategic leadership of the armed forces was created in Moscow - the Headquarters of the Main Command (later - the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command). All power in the country was concentrated in the hands of the State Defense Committee (GKO), formed on June 30. I.V. was appointed Chairman of the State Defense Committee and Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Stalin. The country began to implement a program of emergency measures under the motto:

“Everything for the front! Everything for victory!

The Red Army, however, continued to retreat. By mid-July 1941, German troops advanced 300-600 km deep into Soviet territory, capturing Lithuania, Latvia, almost all of Belarus, a significant part of Estonia, Ukraine and Moldova, creating a threat to Leningrad, Smolensk and Kyiv.

On June 22, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.M. addressed the citizens of the Soviet Union on the radio. Molotov. He said, in particular:

“This unheard-of attack on our country is a treachery unparalleled in the history of civilized peoples. The attack on our country was carried out despite the fact that a non-aggression treaty was concluded between the USSR and Germany.”

Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Chairman of the State Defense Committee (GKO) I.V. Stalin:

Great Patriotic War 1941 - 1945:

From June 22 until the autumn of 1941, the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 was extremely difficult for the Soviet side. German troops completely occupied the Baltic states, and partially Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine.

On September 8, 1941, the siege of Leningrad began. On September 30, a massive offensive against Moscow began. German units were located only 100 kilometers from the capital of the USSR. The turning point came on December 5th. On this day, the Soviet counter-offensive began. It lasted 2 days, ending on December 6th. As a result, in certain sections of the front the Germans were thrown back up to 250 kilometers.

Battle for Moscow

In May 1942, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive near Kharkov. The Germans inflicted a severe defeat on the Soviet troops in this battle. 2 Soviet armies were destroyed. Total losses amounted to 230 thousand people killed.

Battle of Stalingrad

At the end of June, the German army, which again gained an advantage after the victory at Kharkov, rushed towards Stalingrad. On July 28, 1942, Rostov was captured. In September, in Stalingrad, which was practically destroyed, there were hand-to-hand battles between the sides. By November, the Germans no longer had the strength to attack.

In the Battle of Stalingrad, the Germans lost about 800 thousand people killed. On November 18, the Soviet offensive began. At this point, the Great Patriotic War of 1941 - 1945 completed its first stage; the second, offensive for the USSR, was ahead.

On January 18, 1943, the blockade of Leningrad was partially lifted. Operations to liberate Donbass began in February.

On July 5, 1943, the Germans planned to launch an offensive, but the Soviet command was aware of this action, and a few minutes before the start of hostilities, they launched a powerful preemptive artillery strike, which thwarted the German offensive.

Battle of Kursk

On July 12, the largest tank battle took place near Prokhorovka. In general, on this day the Germans suffered a major defeat at the Kursk Bulge.

On August 5, the Soviet offensive began. The Battle of Kursk cost the Germans the lives of 500 thousand people. After this, the Great Patriotic War of 1941 - 1945 moved to its decisive stage.

In January 1944, the blockade of Leningrad was completely lifted, and the Germans were driven back to Narva.

Liberators! Battalions on the march!

By 1944, the situation had changed even more in favor of the Soviet Union. The final period of the war in Europe began. But the path to its end was difficult. The fascist army still remained strong.

Due to the absence of a second front, Germany continued to keep its main troops on the Soviet-German front. There were 236 of its divisions and 18 brigades operating here, which included more than 5 million people, 54 thousand guns, 5,400 tanks, 3 thousand aircraft. Germany still controlled the resources of almost all of Europe.

The Soviet Armed Forces outnumbered the enemy by 1.3 times in personnel, 1.7 times in artillery, and 3.3 times in aircraft. This quantitative superiority was enhanced by the high quality of weapons, fighting spirit and increased operational and tactical command skills.

As a result of a deep analysis of the situation, the Headquarters decided in 1944 to launch an offensive on the front from Leningrad to the Crimea inclusive.

The offensive operations of 1944, popularly called, began immediately after the completion of the 1943 offensive, not allowing the enemy to come to their senses after the defeat in the battles near Kursk and the Dnieper.

The task was to develop a sequence of attacks on the enemy that would be unexpected for him, be continuous, and would deprive him of the opportunity to maneuver his forces to repel the main attack.

Back in December 1943, I.V. Stalin, returning from the Tehran Conference, convened a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the State Defense Committee and some members of the Headquarters. At the meeting, issues of the military-political situation of the country were comprehensively considered and the conclusion was made that the Soviet people, led by the party, had achieved military-economic superiority over the enemy. Now the further course of the war began to be determined by our superiority over the enemy and the increased skill of Soviet soldiers.

After a meeting of the Politburo, J.V. Stalin raised the question of a new form of conducting the campaign of 1944. When discussing the issue of places to concentrate our troops to defeat the fascist forces, 10 regions were identified along the entire strategic front. After this, the General Staff began practical development of the upcoming victorious operations. source-source-source-

More about Stalin's Ten Strikes:

For the last battle...

The oath of the fighters is death to the Nazi occupiers

Funeral...

Return from the war

Memory…

Stalin's top military leaders:

Humanity has gone through a difficult, bloody path from the moment when Hermann Goering read out the order to attack the USSR to the generals of the Third Reich, to the signing of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany.

Ordinary fascism:

This is how the Great Patriotic War began. June 21, 1941, Hermann Goering reads the order to attack the USSR to the generals of the Third Reich. The next day, the German Minister of Public Education and Propaganda made a radio statement:

On June 20, 1945, the Victory Banner, hoisted in Berlin over the building of the German Parliament (Reichstag) shortly before the surrender of Nazi Germany, was delivered to Moscow.

For the first time, the idea of ​​raising the red banner over the capital of defeated Germany was expressed by Joseph Stalin on November 6, 1944, at a ceremonial meeting in Moscow, on the eve of the celebration of the next anniversary of the October Revolution. Then he decided that during the storming of Berlin over the building of the German Reichstag it would be necessary raise the Victory Banner, which will symbolize the final collapse of Nazism.

Soon, based on the model of the national flag of the USSR, nine copies of the Victory Banner were urgently made, according to the number of divisions, from the 3rd Shock Army, which fought in the first echelon of Soviet troops that stormed Berlin. Vanguard assault groups made up of volunteer warriors. strived to complete a responsible task as quickly as possible. Flag No. 5 became the Victory Banner.

On the picture: Company commander Senior Sergeant Ilya Syanov at the pole of the Victory Banner before being sent to Moscow.

And with this, the Great Patriotic War was over, with the complete defeat of the United Hitlerite Europe, its unconditional surrender, and the Great Victory of the Soviet Union!

Signing of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany (1945):

General Alfred Jodl signs the German surrender in Reims on May 7, 1945.

Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel signs the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany. Berlin, May 8, 1945, 22:43 Central European time (May 9 at 0:43 Moscow time).

Ten Stalinist strikes is the general name for a number of the largest offensive strategic operations in the Great Patriotic War, carried out in 1944 by the armed forces of the USSR.
Along with other offensive operations, they made a decisive contribution to the victory of the countries of the Anti-Hitler Coalition over Nazi Germany and its allies in World War II.

Initially, this series of operations was not united under a common name; operations were planned and carried out based on the logic of events and general strategic objectives for this year. For the first time, ten blows were listed by I.V. Stalin in the first part of the report “27th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution” dated November 6, 1944 at the ceremonial meeting of the Moscow Council of Working People's Deputies.
Stalin's first blow. complete elimination of the siege of Leningrad


The first blow in January 1944 was a strategic offensive operation by troops of the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic Fronts in cooperation with the Baltic Fleet with the aim of defeating the German group near Leningrad and Novgorod. Having broken through the powerful long-term enemy defenses on a 300-km front, Soviet troops defeated the 18th and partially 16th German armies of Army Group North and by February 29 advanced 270 km, completely eliminating the blockade of Leningrad and liberating the Leningrad region. As a result of the successful implementation of the first strike, favorable conditions were created for the liberation of the Baltic states and the defeat of the enemy in Karelia.
In the words of Stalin himself: “The first blow was delivered by our troops in January of this year near Leningrad and Novgorod, when the Red Army broke the long-term defense of the Germans and threw them back into the Baltic states. The result of this blow was the liberation of the Leningrad region.”
Stalin's second blow. Liberation of Right Bank Ukraine


The second blow was delivered by the troops of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts in February-March 1944, defeating the German Army Groups “South” and “A” on the Southern Bug River and throwing their remnants across the Dniester River . As a result of the strategic surprise of the attack by Soviet troops, the entire Right Bank of Ukraine was liberated and Soviet troops reached the line of Kovel, Ternopil, Chernivtsi, Balti. This created the conditions for a subsequent attack in Belarus and the defeat of German-Romanian troops in the Crimea and near Odessa in April-May 1944.

Stalin's third blow. Liberation of Odessa


As a result of the third strike by Soviet troops of the 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts and the Separate Primorsky Army, in cooperation with the 2nd Ukrainian Front and the Black Sea Fleet, the Odessa and Crimean groups of the 17th German Army were defeated, and Crimea was liberated. The third blow began with the Odessa operation (March 26 - April 14) and the liberation of the cities of Nikolaev and Odessa by troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. From April 8 to May 12, the Crimean operation was carried out, Simferopol was liberated on April 13, and Sevastopol was liberated on May 9.

Stalin's fourth blow. defeat of the Finnish army

The fourth strike was carried out by troops of the Leningrad Front on the Karelian Isthmus and troops of the Karelian Front in the Svir-Petrozavodsk direction with the assistance of the Baltic Fleet, Ladoga and Onega military flotillas in June-July 1944. On June 6, Allied troops began the landing operation in Normandy. This meant the opening of the long-awaited second front. In order to prevent the Germans from transferring troops to the west, on June 10, the Red Army launched a summer offensive on the Karelian Isthmus. Having broken through the “Mannerheim Line” and occupied Vyborg and Petrozavodsk, Soviet troops forced the Finnish government to withdraw from the war and begin peace negotiations. As a result of the fourth strike, Soviet troops inflicted a major defeat on the Finnish troops and liberated the cities of Vyborg, Petrozavodsk and most of the Karelo-Finnish SSR.

Stalin's fifth blow. Operation Bagration


In June-July 1944, offensive operations by troops of the 1st Baltic, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian fronts were carried out in Belarus. Soviet troops defeated the German Army Group Center and destroyed 30 enemy divisions east of Minsk. As a result of the fifth strike, the Byelorussian SSR, most of the Lithuanian SSR and a significant part of Poland were liberated. Soviet troops crossed the Neman River, reached the Vistula River and directly to the borders of Germany - East Prussia. German troops were completely defeated in the area of ​​Vitebsk, Bobruisk, Mogilev, and Orsha. The German Army Group North in the Baltic States was cut in two.

Stalin's sixth blow. Lviv-Sandomierz operation


The sixth blow was the offensive operations of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front in July-August 1944 in Western Ukraine. Soviet troops defeated the German group near Lvov and drove its remnants beyond the San and Vistula rivers. As a result of the sixth strike, Western Ukraine was liberated; Soviet troops crossed the Vistula and formed a powerful bridgehead west of the city of Sandomierz.
Stalin's seventh blow. Iasi-Chisinau Cannes


Romanian operation
The offensive operations of the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet and the Danube Military Flotilla in August-September 1944 in the Chisinau-Iasi region became the seventh blow. The basis of the attack was the Iasi-Kishinev offensive operation of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, as a result of which a large group of German-Romanian troops was defeated, the Moldavian SSR was liberated and Germany’s allies - Romania, and then Bulgaria, were put out of action, the way was opened for Soviet troops to Hungary and the Balkans.
Eighth Stalinist blow. battle for the Baltics

In September-October 1944, in the Baltic states, troops of the Leningrad, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts and the Baltic Fleet carried out Tallinn, Memel, Riga, Moonsund and other offensive operations. As a result of these operations, Soviet troops were cut off from East Prussia, isolated in the Baltic states (Curland Pocket) and defeated more than 30 German divisions, pinning them to the coast between Tukum and Libau (Liepaja). They liberated the Estonian SSR, the Lithuanian SSR, and most of the Latvian SSR. Finland was forced to break the alliance with Germany and subsequently declare war on it.

Stalin's ninth blow. East Carpathian operation

Belgrade operation
The ninth strike was carried out in October-December 1944. It included offensive operations of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts, carried out in the northern part of the Carpathians, between the Tisza and Danube rivers, and in the eastern part of Yugoslavia. As a result of these operations, German Army Groups South and F were defeated, most of the territory of Hungary was cleared, Transcarpathian Ukraine was liberated, assistance was provided in the liberation of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, and the conditions were created for a subsequent attack on Austria and Southern Germany.
Stalin's tenth blow. Battle in the Far North

The tenth blow in October 1944 was the operation of the troops of the Karelian Front and ships of the Northern Fleet to defeat the 20th German Mountain Army in Northern Finland, as a result of which the Pechenga region was liberated and the threat to the port of Murmansk and the northern sea routes of the USSR was eliminated. Soviet troops occupied Pechenga on October 15, crossed the Kirkenes-Rovaniemi highway on October 23, cleared the entire area of ​​nickel mines, and on October 25 entered the borders of allied Norway to liberate it from German troops.
Impact results.
As a result of ten strikes by Soviet troops, 136 enemy divisions were defeated and disabled, of which about 70 divisions were surrounded and destroyed. Under the blows of the Red Army, the Axis bloc finally collapsed; Germany's allies - Romania, Bulgaria, Finland - were put out of action. In 1944, almost the entire territory of the USSR was liberated from the invaders, and military operations were transferred to the territory of Germany and its allies. The successes of the Soviet troops in 1944 predetermined the final defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.