The Second World War left such a mark on history that it remains under the close attention of scientists to this day. Analyzing all the events that occurred, scientists determined main stages of World War II.

The first stage, of course, is associated with the beginning of the war. German troops entered Poland and occupied it within a month. At the same time, the “friendship” between the USSR and Germany was consolidated, and while the USSR, showing the weakness of its military machine, seized the insignificant territory of Finland with great blood, Germany single-handedly subjugated most of Western Europe.

After this, the war entered the second stage, which began on June 22, 1941. Of course, 99.9% of people in the post-Soviet space know that the Great Patriotic War began on this day. The large-scale German invasion forced the Red Army to retreat inland, and only in 1942, having sowed death and horror in Ukraine and Belarus (the USSR did not particularly try to defend these borders, hoping that the Germans would mow down the local population), the German war machine was stopped, and subsequently thrown back. In 1941, the United States entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

During this time, Soviet troops managed to create a military machine, gain experience and determination to push back the enemy. New tanks and aircraft were developed with comparable and even superior performance German technology. In addition, the conditions harsh winter were unusual for the Germans and made deliveries difficult. Thanks to all this, the war moved into the third stage. After the Battle of Stalingrad, Soviet troops managed to push back the enemy and gradually ousted him from their territory. All this time, German aircraft bombed Great Britain, and submarines sank dozens of Allied ships. In the Balkans, in Greece, as well as in the colonial possessions of Asia and North Africa, there were also fighting with varying degrees of success, but they did not have a significant impact on the course of the war.

After the final repression German troops The final period for Germany began from the USSR, ending with the complete defeat of the Nazis. The Allies reached an agreement and opened a second front. Soviet Pe-8s bombed from an unattainable height and landed in Great Britain. Soviet troops invaded the territory of countries captured by the Germans, but they liberated them in their own way - communism was imposed everywhere. The Allies landed troops in Normandy, and exerted pressure from the south of Europe and did not allow the Germans to concentrate forces to repel the attack of the Red Army. As a result, Berlin was captured on May 9, 1945.

However, these are not all the stages of the Second World War; it ended only on September 2, 1945, since Japan and some other supporters of Germany did not immediately lay down their arms. In August, the USSR declared war on Japan, and the US fleet inflicted a final defeat on the Japanese fleet. To prove its unconditional advantage, the United States dropped two nuclear warheads on Hiroshima and Nagasaki from B-16 aircraft. However, the results were so terrible that all countries later abandoned such weapons.

Background and course of the Second World War

September 1, 1939 d. Germany attacked Poland. From this day the Second World War began, which lasted until September 2, 1945 England and France declared war on Germany, but did not conduct serious military operations; they continued secret negotiations with the German leadership. At the first stage of World War II, the German invaders managed to occupy Belgium, Holland, Poland, Norway, Denmark, and France. France was defeated in May-June 1940. Austria and Czechoslovakia were occupied earlier. Italian fascists ruled in Albania, Greece, and Ethiopia.

Neville Chamberlain, a supporter of the “appeasement” of Hitler, was replaced as Prime Minister of England by Winston Churchill, who understood that Hitler and fascism must not be appeased, but destroyed. The British, having taken refuge across the English Channel and showing true British character, heroically withstood massive German bombing in the summer and autumn of 1940. Churchill categorically rejected any compromises with the Nazis.

The Soviet leadership took advantage of the situation. On September 17, 1939, Soviet troops occupied part of Poland and divided its territory with Germany in accordance with secret agreements. The territory of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus, lost after an unsuccessful Soviet-Polish war 1920, was returned to the USSR. The Treaty of Friendship and Borders with Germany was signed, which again erased Poland from the political map.

From November 30, 1939 to March 12, 1940 there was « winter» Soviet-Finnish war. At the cost of great losses, the Karelian Isthmus with Vyborg was returned to the country, a military base in Hanko and other territories were acquired. The USSR, as an aggressor country, was expelled from the League of Nations. In the summer of 1940, after the defeat of France by Germany, the pro-fascist governments in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were overthrown, and new authorities were formed, asking to accept these states into the USSR. In the summer of 1940, Bessarabia, captured by the Romanians in December 1917, was returned to the USSR. With Japan in April 1941 a non-aggression pact was signed.

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany, without declaring war, violating the non-aggression pact, attacked the USSR.

The first period of the Great Patriotic War and the second period of World War II (June 22, 1941 - November 1942)

The war began disastrously for the USSR. Fascist troops acted in accordance with the Barbarossa plan, seized the strategic initiative and by the fall of 1941 reached the Leningrad-Moscow-Kharkov line.

In the first week of fighting, superiority German troops it was 3-4 times, and in the directions of the main attack it reached 5-6 times. On a multi-kilometer front, they managed to thwart the offensive impulse of the Wehrmacht. The heroic defenders of the Brest Fortress, Smolensk, Kyiv, Odessa, Sevastopol, Tula, Leningrad, and Moscow fought hard.

During the Battle of Moscow on November 16, 1941, a group of tank destroyers from the 316th division (commander I.V. Panfilov) entered into battle with several dozen Nazi tanks. The call addressed to the fighters is “Great Russia, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us!” - became the fighting motto of the defenders of Moscow.

By July 1, 1941, mobilization ensured that 5.3 million people were drafted into the army. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, some categories of prisoners were released from punishment and sent to the front. Persons over 42 years of age could voluntarily join the people's militia. In July-October 1941, 1.7 million people were accepted into the people's militia, of which 40 divisions were formed. 15 militia divisions subsequently went through the entire war until 1945. By November-December 1941, 6.6 million people fought in the active army.

With the outbreak of the war, the country was turned into a military camp. A grandiose evacuation people and equipment to the east, where military production was being established.

On December 5-6, 1941, near Moscow, Soviet troops won their first major victory and removed the threat of capturing the Soviet capital. During the Battle of Moscow, General G.K. Zhukov, not having superiority over the enemy in numbers and weapons, concentrated his available forces on the directions of the main attack. The risk turned out to be worth it. The Germans were driven back from Moscow and suffered their first major defeat. Japan and Türkiye refused to enter the war against the USSR.

In the first months of 1942, unsuccessful operations were carried out near Leningrad, in the Crimea and near Kharkov, after which the Germans were able to launch a new offensive in the southern direction. In the summer of 1942, the main struggle unfolded at Stalingrad and for the Caucasus. In the southwest and south until the fall of 1942, the superiority of enemy forces in manpower and equipment remained. In aviation, the German armed forces had an absolute superiority of 3-4 times. Red Army aviation units have not yet recovered from the losses suffered in the first weeks of the war.

In July 1942, Order No. 227 of the USSR People's Commissar of Defense Stalin was issued, which provided for harsh measures aimed at strengthening order and discipline in the troops.

Even with an extremely unfavorable start to hostilities for the USSR, the mobilization capabilities of the “Soviet civilization” turned out to be sufficient not only to stop the enemy, but also to inflict serious blows on Nazi Germany. Subsequently " Soviet civilization"in all respects surpassed its direct opponent.

The second stage of the Great Patriotic War and the third stage of the Second World War (November 19-20, 1942 - December 1943). A radical turning point during the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War

On November 19-20, 1942, the Red Army troops of the Southwestern, Stalingrad and Don fronts went on the offensive near Stalingrad. 22 enemy divisions were surrounded. In December, an attempt to free the encircled group was repulsed in stubborn battles. From January 31 to February 2, 1943, the troops of the 6th Army were defeated, and the remnants surrendered together with Field Marshal General F. Paulus. More than 2 million people took part in the Battle of Stalingrad on both sides. The victory in the Battle of Stalingrad allowed Soviet troops to seize the strategic initiative and created favorable conditions for the deployment of an offensive on all fronts in the southwestern direction.

The outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad caused confusion and confusion in the Axis countries. A crisis began in the pro-fascist regimes in Italy, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia, whose military units suffered heavy losses at Stalingrad. Germany's influence on its allies sharply weakened, and disagreements between them noticeably worsened. The desire to maintain neutrality has intensified in Turkish political circles. Elements of restraint and alienation began to prevail in the attitude of neutral countries towards Germany.

After the Battle of Stalingrad, fascist German troops left the North Caucasus, retreated 600-700 km, lost up to 40% of their strength in Soviet-German front.

In July-August 1943, during the grandiose Battle of Kursk, large enemy tank forces were defeated. Over 4 million people took part in the Battle of Kursk. After the Battle of Kursk, the strategic initiative passed into the hands of the Soviet command. From that time on, Soviet troops mainly attacked, displacing the German army from the territories it occupied.

During the summer and autumn of 1943, Smolensk, Kyiv and left-bank Ukraine were liberated.

During the second stage of the Great Patriotic War, a radical turning point was marked in the armed confrontation of the Soviet Union with Nazi Germany and its satellites.

The third period of the Great Patriotic War and the fourth period of the Second World War (January 1944 - May 9, 1945). The defeat and surrender of Nazi Germany

Soviet troops continued to bear the brunt of the fight against Germany until complete surrender. On January 27, 1944, the blockade of Leningrad was finally lifted. Then major operations were carried out, in which significant military forces took part: Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya, Belorussian, etc. Throughout 1944, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Karelian Isthmus were completely liberated. The Soviet army began to carry out its liberation mission against the peoples of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Austria.

On June 6, 1944, British and American troops landed in France. With this major operation, according to the Soviet leadership, a real “second front” emerged. Before the Normandy landings, only a few German divisions fought against the British and Americans in North Africa and then in Italy. Until the summer of 1944, almost all the fascist forces were concentrated against the advancing units of the Red Army.

From April 16 to May 2, 1945, the Berlin operation took place, during which the capital of the Third Reich was surrounded and taken by storm. The Soviet flag was hoisted on the Reichstag building.

The Allies accepted the surrender of the German command on May 6, but Stalin refused to join in this action.

On May 6, 1945, the act of unconditional surrender of Germany was signed on behalf of the USSR by G. K. Zhukov, Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Marshal of the Soviet Union, an outstanding Soviet commander. Representatives of the troops of England, the USA and France took part in this event. May 9 was declared Victory Day in the USSR. The most difficult war in the history of our country ended in a great victory. On June 24, the Victory Parade took place on Red Square.

The fourth period of the Second World War (June-September 1945). The defeat and surrender of militaristic Japan

In April 1945 Soviet government denounced the neutrality pact with Japan, signed in April 1941. Over the course of four years, the Japanese side repeatedly violated the terms of the pact. Since the spring of 1941, the Japanese leadership made feverish efforts to ensure that the USSR remained neutral. The Japanese believed that they could still resist the Americans. US leaders believed that even after the use of atomic weapons without the Soviet armed forces entering the war against Japan, the struggle with Japan could drag on until the end of 1946 and even until 1947. On August 6, 1945, the United States atomic bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in which mostly civilians died.

1. August 1945 The Soviet Union, true to its obligations, entered the war against Japan. Within three weeks, the Manchurian strategic, Sakhalin tactical and Kuril landing operations were carried out. The Soviet army defeated large Japanese forces. In Northeast China, in Manchuria, almost the entire Kwantung Army was captured. Soviet troops liberated South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands from the Japanese. September 2, 1945 G. The Japanese signed an unconditional surrender. The Second World War is over. The bloc of aggressive states, the core of which were fascist Germany, Italy and militaristic Japan, suffered a crushing defeat.

Results of World War II

The Second World War, planned by the aggressors as a series of small lightning wars, turned into a global armed conflict. 64 were drawn into the war. The losses suffered as a result of the war are striking in their scale. More than 50 million people died, and if we take into account the constantly updated data on the losses of the USSR, this figure cannot be called final. The economies of most of the countries at war were undermined.

The meaning of the USSR victory in the Great Patriotic War. The Second World War ended with the defeat of German fascism and Japanese militarism. The Great Patriotic War became its most important component. The peoples of the Soviet Union defended their independence and, with the support of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, made a decisive contribution to the victory. England and the USA not only supplied our country with food, raw materials, materials and equipment, without which the level of Soviet production necessary for the needs of the war could not be maintained, but also diverted a considerable part of the German fleet and aviation, and in the last war year - also the land forces. Wehrmacht forces.

The victory promoted the USSR to the ranks of the leading powers in the world and highly raised its prestige in the international arena. Subsequently, the USSR took part and became a member of various international organizations, primarily the UN. The result of the post-war reorganization of the world was a new geopolitical situation based on a two-bloc confrontation - the United States and Western Europe against the USSR and Eastern Europe.

It is generally accepted that, due to the uneven development of individual states, a group of countries has formed that are progressing, but do not have sufficient markets and sources of raw materials. These included Germany, Italy and Japan. They did not have sufficient economic power to compete with their rivals, so they chose an aggressive path of competition. The USA, Great Britain, France fought for their priorities peacefully. The USSR also sought to preserve peace, whose economy and armed forces were inferior to the economies and armies of other developed countries.

Germany pursued the goal of creating a Greater German Reich in which all racial enemies would be subdued or destroyed. All of Europe would be controlled from Berlin. Italy wanted to create a Mediterranean empire. She laid claim to the south of France, the Balkan Peninsula, and northern Africa. Perhaps Mussolini wanted to prevent German hegemony. Japan announced the creation of a Greater Asia Prosperity Sphere. Under the leadership of Japan, a zone of political federation, cultural and economic cooperation will be created. The Japanese order was created under the anti-capitalist slogan “Asia for Asians.” The Japanese zone was supposed to extend to India, Australia, New Zealand and including the Pacific Islands.

The goals of the aggressors were not coordinated. Germany and Japan sought world domination. The main tasks of anti-fascist states are the quick and complete defeat of their opponents. Democratic states sought to temporarily take control of the defeated countries and carry out political changes within them. Restore the 1937 borders and create new system collective security.

Anti-fascists fought not only for this. The United States acted under the slogans of the universal principle of democracy, the right of self-determination of peoples and human rights. At the same time, they sought a radical reorganization of the world. Great Britain combined the goal of destroying Hitlerism with the security of the colonies. France was concerned with protecting its colonies and restoring its position as a great power. The USSR hid its Marxist goals under the veil of the idea of ​​liberating the peoples of the USSR and Europe from fascist enslavement.

Since 1944, the USSR established its dominance in the liberated countries of the central and of Eastern Europe. In a short course on the history of the CPSU (b) in 1938 and in Stalin’s report for 1939, it was said that the war had already begun at that time. Stalin called the Axis countries the aggressors. The signing of the Soviet-German Pact led to a change in this ideological line. On August 31, Molotov delivered a report on the ratification of the pact. The report said that “the imperialists and the leaders of some socialist parties in France and England are fussing and bending over backwards to get the USSR drawn into the war against Germany.” Molotov calls France and England warmongers.

On September 9, 1939, an article by Emelyan Yaroslavsky appeared in Soviet newspapers, dedicated to the publication of a short course on the history of the CPSU (b). The article said that the peoples of the whole world were plunged into the suffering and disasters of the imperialist war. On October 31, Molotov described the war as imperialist on both sides. After the insidious attack of the USSR on Germany, the USSR becomes an ally of England, then France and after the USA. The ratings are being adjusted again. On November 6, 1941, Stalin speaks and says that the USSR and its allies are waging a war of liberation, fair, designed to liberate the enslaved peoples of Europe and the USSR from Hitler’s tyranny. On February 9, 1946, Stalin said that the war against the Axis states had taken on an anti-fascist and liberation character from the very beginning. One of its tasks was to restore democratic rights and freedoms.

The entry of the USSR into the war could only strengthen its anti-fascist character. After the 20th Congress of the CPSU, assessments of the nature of the war were revised again. Here, without any argumentation, it was said that the Second World War turned from an imperialist war into an anti-fascist, liberation war. At the first stage of the war, the imperialists fought, and with the advent of the USSR, it transformed into an anti-fascist one. Thus, none of the assessments were accompanied by scientific discussion. Each was dictated by political considerations and had a directive nature.

The scientific discussion began only during the period of perestroika and there was talk only about one period from 1939 to 1941. Historians did not touch the USSR at all. It is now generally accepted that the war on the part of the Axis was of an imperialist, aggressive nature. All participants in the anti-fascist coalition fought a just war. In Russian science, it is customary to proceed from the fact that the eastern front was of main importance for the outcome of the war.

The periodization is based on the main military and political processes that were reflected in the course of the war. There are five stages:

• 1. From September 1, 1939 to June 22, 1941. When the main theaters of military operations are formed. At this time, the defeat of democratic countries, the strengthening of the aggressive bloc and the occupation of small European states occur. Surrender of France. England is left alone. The USSR uses brutal pressure and military force. An aggressive block is being formed.
• 2. From June 22, 1941 to November 18, 1942. The Pacific, African, and Eastern fronts are active. Maximum success of the Axis countries. The collapse of the blitzkrieg. On June 4, 1942, the Japanese fleet was defeated at the Battle of Midway. Japan is heading into a protracted war. In May-June 1942, an anti-fascist coalition took shape.
• 3. November 19, 1942 – December 1943. The radical fracture is completed. Victories at Stalingrad and Kursk. Anglo-American troops win in Africa (El Alamein). The Axis enters a stage of crisis and disintegrates. In 1943, Italy leaves the war. Inter-allied relations are strengthening. In the occupied countries, real resistance is emerging.
• 4. January 1944 – May 8, 1945. Liberation European countries. The USSR liberates central and southeastern Europe. A second front opens in northern France. Liberation of Italy. The axis completely falls apart. Allied offensive in the Pacific. The defeat of the Japanese fleet off the island of Leyte. On Yalta Conference The first agreements between the allies on the post-war world are reached. Unconditional surrender of Germany.
• 5. May 9, 1945 – September 2, 1945. Defeat of Japan. Liberation of Southeast Asia. Summing up the preliminary results of the war at the Potsdam Conference.

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The Second World War was caused by a complex of reasons: the new international order established at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 (the so-called Versailles-Washington system), the uneven development of the leading world powers, a change in their role in the world economy and politics, and the aggravation of contradictions between them . These reasons were aggravated by the growth of the national movement in the colonies, the consequences of the global economic crisis of 1929, and the growth of nationalism and chauvinism in Europe. Added to the contradictions and conflicts within the Western world were its contradictions with the USSR, whose leadership proclaimed as its goal the victory of communism on a global scale.

In domestic historiography, five periods of the Second World War are usually distinguished: 1) September 1, 1939 – June 22, 1941: from the German attack on Poland and the “Phantom War”, military actions in 1940-1941. in Europe (the defeat of France, the occupation of most European countries) before the start of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union.

2) June 22, 1941 - November 1942: from the German attack on the USSR to the defeat of German troops at Stalingrad. The main battles took place on eastern front. In the border battles of June–July 1941, Soviet troops were defeated and forced to retreat. In the fall of 1941, Germany launched an attack on Moscow (Operation Typhoon), during which German units managed to get 25–30 km closer to the capital. At the beginning of December 1941, a counteroffensive by Soviet troops began, which lasted until April 1942. The victory near Moscow finally crossed out the German “blitzkrieg” plan.

3) November 1942 - December 1943: a radical turning point in the course of the war. On November 19, 1942, the Soviet offensive began near Stalingrad, which marked the beginning of a radical turning point in the course of the war. In the summer of 1943, the largest battle of the Second World War took place - the Battle of Kursk. The Battle of Kursk marked the completion of a radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War. At the Tehran Conference in November-December 1943, the issue of opening a second front, the fate of post-war Germany, and the future borders of Poland were discussed. The Soviet Union committed itself to declaring war on Japan after the defeat of Germany.

4) January 1944 - May 1945: from the offensive of the Soviet army near Leningrad, in Ukraine and Belarus and the opening of a second front in Europe to the surrender of Germany. The second front was opened in June 1944. On June 6, 1944, after lengthy preparations, the Allies landed in Normandy (northern France). The liberation of France began. An attempted offensive by German troops in the Ardennes ended in failure. At the Potsdam Conference in July 1945, decisions were made on the complete disarmament of Germany, the destruction of its monopolies and military industry, and the liquidation of the Nazi Party. Germany and Berlin were temporarily divided into 4 occupation zones. The size of reparations from Germany was determined. Decisions were made on the eastern border of Poland and the transfer of part of East Prussia with Koenigsberg to the USSR.

5) August – September 1945: defeat of Japan. Fulfilling its allied obligations, after the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union entered the war with Japan. The war in the Far East lasted from August 9 to September 2, 1945. On September 2, the act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed.

The main result of the Second World War was the victory over fascism. The armed forces, economics, politics, and ideology of the countries of the fascist bloc suffered a complete collapse. In the liberated countries, the ideas of anti-fascism, anti-colonialism, democracy, and socialism gained wide popularity. As a result of the war, the face of the world changed, new trends in economic and political development emerged, and changes in Everyday life, culture. But the balance of power in the world has also changed. Germany, Italy and Japan became dependent countries for a time, their economies were destroyed. Two superpowers began to dominate the political scene: the USA and the USSR. The boundaries of the socialist camp expanded to include countries in Eastern Europe, where regimes of “people's democracies” were established. One of the most important results of the war was the collapse of the colonial system.

1. First period wars (1 September 1939 - 21 June 1941 G.) Start wars "invasion Germanic troops V countries western Europe.

The Second World War began on September 1, 1939 with an attack on Poland. On September 3, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany, but did not provide practical assistance to Poland. German armies, between September 1 and October 5, defeated Polish troops and occupied Poland, whose government fled to Romania. The Soviet government sent its troops into Western Ukraine to protect the Belarusian and Ukrainian populations in connection with the collapse of the Polish state and to prevent the further spread of Hitler's aggression.

In September 1939 and until the spring of 1940, the so-called “ strange war"The French army and the English expeditionary force that landed in France, on the one hand, and german army- on the other hand, they fired sluggishly each other, did not take active action. The calm was false, because... the Germans simply feared a war “on two fronts.”

Having defeated Poland, Germany released significant forces in the east and dealt a decisive blow in Western Europe. On April 8, 1940, the Germans occupied Denmark almost without losses and landed airborne assaults in Norway to capture its capital and major cities and ports. The small Norwegian army and the English troops that came to the rescue resisted desperately. The battle for the northern Norwegian port of Narvik lasted three months, the city passed from hand to hand. But in June 1940 the allies abandoned Norway.

In May, German troops launched an offensive, capturing Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg and through northern France reached the English Channel. Here, near the port city of Dunkirk, one of the most dramatic battles of the early period of the war took place. The British sought to save the remaining troops on the continent. After bloody battles, 215 thousand British and 123 thousand French and Belgians retreating with them crossed to the English coast.

Now the Germans, having deployed their divisions, were rapidly moving towards Paris. June 14 to the city that she left most of its inhabitants, the German army entered. France officially capitulated. Under the terms of the agreement of June 22, 1940, the country was divided into two parts: the Germans ruled in the north and center, occupation laws were in force; the south was ruled from the town (VICHY) by the Petain government, which was entirely dependent on Hitler. At the same time, the formation of the Fighting France troops began under the command of General De Gaulle, who was in London, who decided to fight for the liberation of their homeland.

Now in Western Europe, Hitler had one serious opponent left - England. Waging war against her was significantly complicated by her island position, the presence of her strongest military - navy and powerful aviation, as well as numerous sources of raw materials and food in overseas possessions. Back in 1940, the German command was seriously thinking about conducting a landing operation in England, but preparations for war with the Soviet Union required concentrating forces in the East. Therefore, Germany is betting on waging an air and naval war against England. The first major raid on the British capital - London - was carried out by German bombers on August 23, 1940. Subsequently, the bombing became more fierce, and from 1943 the Germans began shelling English cities, military and industrial facilities flying shells from the occupied coast of continental Europe.

In the summer and autumn of 1940, fascist Italy became noticeably more active. At the height of the German offensive in France, Mussolini's government declared war on England and France. On September 1 of the same year, a document was signed in Berlin on the creation of a Triple Military-Political Alliance between Germany, Italy and Japan. A month later, Italian troops, with the support of the Germans, invaded Greece, and in April 1941, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria was forced to join the Triple Alliance. As a result, by the summer of 1941, at the time of the attack on the Soviet Union, most of Western Europe was under German and Italian control; Among the large countries, Sweden, Switzerland, Iceland, and Portugal remained neutral. In 1940, a large-scale war began on the African continent. Hitler's plans included creating a colonial empire there on the basis of Germany's former possessions. The Union of South Africa was supposed to be turned into a pro-fascist dependent state, and the island of Madagascar into a reservoir for Jews expelled from Europe.

Italy hoped to expand its possessions in Africa at the expense of a significant part of Egypt, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, French and British Somalia. Together with the previously captured Libya and Ethiopia, they were supposed to become part of the “great Roman Empire”, the creation of which the Italian fascists dreamed of. On September 1, 1940, January 1941, the Italian offensive, undertaken to capture the port of Alexandria in Egypt and the Suez Canal, failed. Going on a counter-offensive, the British Army of the Nile inflicted a crushing defeat on the Italians in Libya. In January - March 1941 The British regular army and colonial troops defeated the Italians from Somalia. The Italians were completely defeated. This forced the Germans at the beginning of 1941. to transfer to North Africa, to Tripoli, the expeditionary force of Rommel, one of the most capable military commanders in Germany. Rommel, later nicknamed the “Desert Fox” for his skillful actions in Africa, went on the offensive and after 2 weeks reached the Egyptian border. The British lost many strongholds, retaining only the Tobruk fortress, which protected the path inland to the Nile. In January 1942, Rommel went on the offensive and the fortress fell. This was the last success of the Germans. Coordinating reinforcements and cutting off enemy supply routes from the outside Mediterranean Sea, the British liberated the territory of Egypt.

• 2. The second period of the war (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942) the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR, the expansion of the scale of the war, the collapse of Hitler’s blitzkrieg doctrine.
• On June 22, 1941, Germany treacherously attacked the USSR. Together with Germany, Hungary, Romania, Finland, and Italy opposed the USSR. The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union began, which became the most important part of the Second World War. The entry of the USSR into the war led to the consolidation of all progressive forces in the world in the fight against fascism and influenced the policies of the leading world powers. The government, Great Britain and the USA declared support for the USSR on June 22-24, 1941; Subsequently, agreements were concluded on joint actions and military-economic cooperation between the USSR, England and the USA. In August 1941, the USSR and England sent their troops into Iran to prevent the possibility of creating fascist bases in the Middle East. These joint military-political actions marked the beginning of the creation of an anti-Hitler coalition. The Soviet-German front became the main front of the Second World War.

70% of the army personnel of the fascist bloc, 86% of tanks, 100% of motorized formations, and up to 75% of artillery acted against the USSR. Despite short-term initial successes, Germany failed to achieve the strategic goals of the war. Soviet troops in heavy battles exhausted the enemy's forces, stopped his offensive in all the most important directions and prepared the conditions for launching a counteroffensive. The decisive military-political event of the first year of the Great Patriotic War and the first defeat of the Wehrmacht in the Second World War was the defeat of fascist German troops in the Battle of Moscow in 1941-1942, during which the fascist blitzkrieg was finally thwarted and the myth of the invincibility of the Wehrmacht was dispelled. In the fall of 1941, the Nazis prepared an attack on Moscow as the final operation of the entire Russian company. They gave it the name “Typhoon”; it was apparently assumed that no force could withstand the all-destroying fascist hurricane. By this time, the main forces of Hitler's army were concentrated at the front. In total, the Nazis managed to assemble about 15 armies, numbering 1 million 800 thousand soldiers, officers, over 14 thousand guns and mortars, 1,700 aircraft, 1,390 aircraft. The fascist troops were commanded by experienced military leaders of the German army - Kluge, Hoth, Guderian. Our army had the following forces: 1250 thousand people, 990 tanks, 677 aircraft, 7600 guns and mortars. They were united into three fronts: Western - under the command of General I.P. Konev, Bryansky - under the command of General A.I. Eremenko, reserve - under the command of Marshal S.M. Budyonny. Soviet troops entered the battle of Moscow in difficult conditions. The enemy deeply invaded the country; he captured the Baltic states, Belarus, Moldova, a significant part of the territory of Ukraine, blocked Leningrad, and reached the distant approaches to Moscow.

The Soviet command took all measures to repel the upcoming enemy offensive in the western direction. Much attention was paid to the construction of defensive structures and lines, which began in July. In the tenth day of October, an extremely difficult situation developed near Moscow. A significant part of the formations fought surrounded. There was no continuous line of defense.

The Soviet command was faced with extremely difficult and responsible tasks aimed at stopping the enemy on the approaches to Moscow.

At the end of October - beginning of November, at the cost of incredible efforts, Soviet troops managed to stop the Nazis in all directions. Hitler's troops were forced to go on the defensive just 80-120 km away. from Moscow. There was a pause. The Soviet command gained time to further strengthen the approaches to the capital. On December 1, the Nazis made their last attempt to break through to Moscow in the center of the Western Front, but the enemy was defeated and driven back to their original lines. The defensive battle for Moscow was won.

Words " Great Russia, and there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind us,” flew around the whole country.

The defeat of German troops near Moscow is decisive military-political an event in the first year of the Great Patriotic War, the beginning of its radical turn and the first major defeat of the Nazis in the Second World War. Near Moscow, the fascist plan for the rapid defeat of our country was finally thwarted. The defeat of the Wehrmacht on the outskirts of the Soviet capital shook Hitler's military machine to its core and undermined Germany's military prestige in the eyes of world public opinion. The contradictions within the fascist bloc intensified, and the plans of the Hitler clique to enter the war against our country, Japan and Turkey, failed. As a result of the victory of the Red Army near Moscow, the authority of the USSR in the international arena increased. This outstanding military success had a huge impact on the merger of anti-fascist forces and the intensification of the liberation movement in the territories not occupied by the fascists. The battle of Moscow began a radical turn in the course of the war. It was of great importance not only in military and political terms and not only for the Red Army and our people, but also for all the peoples who fought against Nazi Germany. Strong morale, patriotism, and hatred of the enemy helped the Soviet wars to overcome all difficulties and achieve historical success near Moscow. This outstanding feat of theirs was highly appreciated by the grateful Motherland, the valor of 36 thousand soldiers and commanders was awarded military orders and medals, and 110 of them were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Over 1 million defenders of the capital were awarded the medal “For the Defense of Moscow”.

The attack of Hitler's Germany on the USSR changed the military and political situation in the world. The United States made its choice, rapidly moving to the forefront in many sectors of the economy and especially in military-industrial production.

The government of Franklin Roosevelt declared its intention to support the USSR and other countries of the anti-Hitler coalition with all the means at its disposal. On August 14, 1941, Roosevelt and Churchill signed the famous “Atlantic Charter” - a program of goals and specific actions in the fight against German fascism. As the war spread throughout the world, the struggle for sources of raw materials and food, for control over shipping became increasingly acute. in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. From the first days of the war, the Allies, primarily England, managed to control the countries of the Near and Middle East, which supplied them with food, raw materials for the military industry, and replenishment of manpower. Iran, which included British and Soviet troops, Iraq and Saudi Arabia supplied the allies with oil, this “Bread of War”. The British deployed numerous troops from India, Australia, New Zealand and Africa to their defense. In Turkey, Syria and Lebanon the situation was less stable. Having declared its neutrality, Türkiye supplied Germany with strategic raw materials, purchasing them from the British colonies. The center of German intelligence in the Middle East was located in Turkey. Syria and Lebanon after the surrender of France increasingly fell into the sphere of fascist influence.

A threatening situation for the Allies has developed since 1941 in the Far East and vast areas of the Pacific Ocean. Here Japan increasingly loudly declared itself as the sovereign master. Back in the 30s, Japan made territorial claims, acting under the slogan “Asia for Asians.”

England, France and the USA had strategic and economic interests in this vast area, but were preoccupied with the growing threat from Hitler and initially did not have sufficient forces for a war on two fronts. There was no opinion among Japanese politicians and military men about where to strike next: not the north, against the USSR, or to the south and southwest, to capture Indochina, Malaysia, and India. But one object of Japanese aggression has been identified since the early 30s - China. The fate of the war in China, the most populous country in the world, was decided not only on the battlefields, because... here the interests of several great powers collided, incl. USA and USSR. By the end of 1941, the Japanese made their choice. They considered the destruction of Pearl Harbor, the main American naval base in the Pacific, to be the key to success in the struggle for control of the Pacific Ocean.

4 days after Pearl Harbor, Germany and Italy declared war on America.

On January 1, 1942, Roosevelt, Churchill, USSR Ambassador to America Litvinov and the representative of China signed the Declaration of the United Nations in Washington, which was based on the Atlantic Charter. Later, 22 more states joined it. This most important historical document finally determined the composition and goals of the forces of the anti-Hitler coalition. At the same meeting, a joint command of the Western Allies was created - the “joint Anglo-American headquarters.”

Japan continued to achieve success after success. Singapore, Indonesia, and many islands of the southern seas were captured. There is a real danger for India and Australia.

And yet, the Japanese command, blinded by the first successes, clearly overestimated its capabilities, scattering the forces of the aviation fleet and army over a vast expanse of oceans, on numerous islands, and on the territories of occupied countries.

Having recovered from the first setbacks, the Allies slowly but steadily switched to active defense and then to the offensive. But a less fierce war was going on in the Atlantic. At the beginning of the war, England and France had overwhelming superiority over Germany at sea. The Germans did not have aircraft carriers; battleships were only being built. After the occupation of Norway and France, Germany received well-equipped submarine fleet bases on Atlantic coast Europe. A difficult situation for the Allies developed in the North Atlantic, where the routes of sea convoys from America and Canada to Europe passed. The route to the northern Soviet ports along the Norwegian coast was difficult. At the beginning of 1942, on the orders of Hitler, who attached more importance to the northern theater of military operations, the Germans transferred the German fleet there, led by the new super-powerful battleship Tirpitz (named after the founder of the German fleet). It was clear that the outcome of the Battle of the Atlantic could affect the further course of the war. Reliable protection of the coasts of America and Canada and sea caravans was organized. By the spring of 1943, the Allies achieved a turning point in the battle at sea.

Taking advantage of the absence of a second front, in the summer of 1942, Nazi Germany launched a new strategic offensive on the Soviet-German front. Hitler's plan, designed for a simultaneous attack on the Caucasus and in the Stalingrad area, was initially doomed to failure. In the summer of 1942, strategic planning gave priority to economic considerations. The capture of the Caucasus region, rich in raw materials, primarily oil, was supposed to strengthen the international position of the Reich in a war that threatened to drag on. The primary goal, therefore, was the conquest of the Caucasus up to the Caspian Sea and then the Volga region and Stalingrad. In addition, the conquest of the Caucasus should have prompted Turkey to enter the war against the USSR.

The main event of the armed struggle on the Soviet-German front in the second half of 1942 - early 1943. became Battle of Stalingrad, it began on July 17 in unfavorable conditions for Soviet troops. The enemy outnumbered them in the Stalingrad direction in personnel: 1.7 times, in artillery and tanks - 1.3 times, in aircraft - 2 times. Many connections created on July 12 Stalingrad Front were formed recently. Soviet troops had to hastily create defenses on unprepared lines.

The enemy made several attempts to break through the defenses of the Stalingrad Front, encircle his troops on the right bank of the Don, reach the Volga and immediately capture Stalingrad. Soviet troops heroically repelled the onslaught of the enemy, who had separate areas overwhelming superiority in forces delayed his movement.

When the advance into the Caucasus slowed down, Hitler decided to simultaneously attack in both main directions, although the Wehrmacht's human resources had by this time been significantly reduced. Through defensive battles and successful counterattacks in the first half of August, Soviet troops thwarted the enemy's plan to capture Stalingrad on the move. The fascist German troops were forced to be drawn into protracted bloody battles, and the German command pulled ever new forces towards the city.

Soviet troops operating northwest and southeast of Stalingrad pinned down significant enemy forces, helping the troops fighting directly at the walls of Stalingrad, and then in the city itself. The most difficult trials in the Battle of Stalingrad fell on the 62nd and 64th armies, commanded by generals V.I. Chuikov and M.S. Shumilov. Pilots of the 8th and 16th Air Armies interacted with the ground forces. The sailors of the Volga military flotilla provided great assistance to the defenders of Stalingrad. In fierce four-month battles on the outskirts of the city and in it itself, the enemy group suffered heavy losses. His offensive capabilities were exhausted, and the aggressor's troops were stopped. Having exhausted and bled the enemy, the armed forces of our country created the conditions for a counteroffensive and crushing the enemy at Stalingrad, finally seizing the strategic initiative and making a radical change in the course of the war.

The failure of the Nazi offensive on the Soviet-German front in 1942 and the failures of the Japanese armed forces in the Pacific forced Japan to abandon the planned attack on the USSR and switch to defense in the Pacific at the end of 1942.

3.Third period wars (19 November 1942 - 31 December 1943) root fracture V progress war. Crash offensive strategies fascist block.

The period began with a counter-offensive by Soviet troops, which ended with the encirclement and defeat of the 330-thousand-strong German fascist group during the Battle of Stalingrad, which made a huge contribution to achieving a radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War and had a decisive influence on the further course of the entire war.

The victory of the Soviet armed forces at Stalingrad is one of the most important glorious heroic chronicles of the Great Patriotic War, the largest military and political events of the Second World War, the most important of all on the path of the Soviet people, the entire anti-Hitler coalition to the final defeat of the Third Reich.

The defeat of large enemy forces in the Battle of Stalingrad demonstrated the power of our state and its army, the maturity of Soviet military art in conducting both defense and offensive, the highest level of skill, courage and fortitude of Soviet soldiers. The defeat of the fascist troops at Stalingrad shook the building of the fascist bloc and aggravated the internal political situation of Germany itself and its allies. Friction between the bloc members intensified; Japan and Turkey were forced to abandon their intention to enter into a war against our country at an opportune moment.

At Stalingrad, the Far Eastern rifle divisions fought steadfastly and courageously against the enemy, 4 of them received honorary titles of guards. During the battle, the Far Easterner M. Passar accomplished his feat. The sniper squad of Sergeant Maxim Passar provided great assistance to the 117th Infantry Regiment in carrying out combat missions. The Nanai hunter had 234 killed Nazis on his personal account; in one battle, two blocking enemy machine guns fired strong barrage fire at our units. M. Passar, approaching a distance of 100 meters, suppressed these two firing points and thereby ensured the advance of the Soviet troops. In the same battle, M. Passar died a heroic death.

The people sacredly honor the memory of the defenders of the city on the Volga. Recognition of their special merits is the construction on Mamayev Kurgan - sacred place the city of the hero - a majestic monument - ensemble, mass graves with an eternal flame in the square of fallen soldiers, a museum - the panorama "Battle of Stalingrad", the house of soldier's glory and many other memorials, monuments and historical places. Victory Soviet weapons on the banks of the Volga contributed to the consolidation of the anti-Hitler coalition, which included the Soviet Union as the leading power. It largely predetermined the success of the operation of the Anglo-American troops in North Africa, allowing the Allies to deliver a decisive blow to Italy. Hitler tried at any cost to prevent Italy from leaving the war. He tried to restore Mussolini's regime. Meanwhile, the anti-Hitler patriotic war was unfolding in Italy. But the liberation of Italy from the Nazis was still far away.

In Germany by 1943 everything was subordinated to meeting military needs. Even in peacetime, Hitler introduced compulsory labor service for everyone. Millions of concentration camp prisoners and residents of conquered countries deported to Germany worked for the war. All of Europe conquered by the Nazis worked for the war.

Hitler promised the Germans that Germany's enemies would never set foot on German soil. And yet the war came to Germany. The raids began back in 1940-41, and from 1943, when the Allies achieved air superiority, massive bombing became regular.

The German leadership considered a new offensive on the Soviet-German front to be the only means of restoring the shaky military position and international prestige. A powerful offensive in 1943 was supposed to change the situation at the front in favor of Germany, raise the morale of the Wehrmacht and the population, and keep the fascist bloc from collapse.

In addition, fascist politicians counted on the inactivity of the anti-Hitler coalition - the USA and England, which continued to violate obligations to open a second front in Europe, which allowed Germany to transfer fresh divisions from the west to the Soviet-German front. The Red Army had to once again fight the main forces of the fascist bloc, and the Kursk region was chosen as the site of the offensive. To carry out the operation, the most combat-ready Nazi formations were brought in - 50 selected divisions, including 16 tank and motorized divisions, concentrated in the Army groups “Center” and “South” north and south of the Kursk salient. Great hopes were placed on the new Tiger and Panther tanks, Ferdinand assault guns, new Focke-Wulf-190 A fighters and Hentel-129 attack aircraft, which arrived at the beginning of the offensive.

The Soviet high command prepared the Red Army for decisive action during the summer and autumn campaign of 1943. A decision was made on a deliberate defense in order to disrupt the enemy’s offensive, bleed him dry and thereby create the preconditions for his complete defeat through a subsequent counter-offensive. Such a bold decision is evidence of the high maturity of the strategic thinking of the Soviet command, the correct assessment of the forces and means of both their own and the enemy, and the military-economic capabilities of the country.

The grandiose Battle of Kursk, which was a complex of defensive and offensive operations of the Soviet troops to disrupt a major enemy offensive and defeat its strategic group, began at dawn on July 5 (map)

The Nazis had no doubt about success, but the Soviet war did not waver. They shot at fascist tanks with artillery fire and destroyed their guns, disabled them with grenades and set them on fire with combustible bottles; rifle units cut off enemy infantry and fighters. On July 12, the largest oncoming tank battle of the Second World War took place in the Prokhorovka area. On small space A total of 1.2 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns were encountered. In a fierce battle, the Soviet warriors showed unprecedented feat and won. Having exhausted and bled the German fascist attack groups in defensive battles and battles, Soviet troops created favorable opportunities for launching a counteroffensive. The Battle of Kursk lasted 50 days and nights as an outstanding event of the Second World War. During it, the Soviet armed forces inflicted such a defeat on Nazi Germany from which it could not recover until the end of the war.

As a result of the defeat German-fascist troops near Kursk, Germany's foreign economic situation sharply worsened. Its isolation in the international arena has increased. The fascist bloc, formed on the basis of the aggressive aspirations of its participants, found itself on the verge of collapse. The crushing defeat at Kursk forced the fascist command to transfer large land and air force. This circumstance made it easier for the Anglo-American troops to carry out the landing operation in Italy and predetermined the withdrawal of this ally of Germany from the war. The victory of the Red Army in the Battle of Kursk had a profound impact on the entire further course of the Second World War. After it, it became obvious that the USSR was able to win the war alone without the help of its allies, completely clear its territory of occupiers and unite the peoples of Europe who were languishing in Hitler’s captivity. The boundless courage, perseverance and mass patriotism of Soviet soldiers were the most important factors in the victory over a strong enemy in the battles of the Kursk Bulge.

The defeat of the Wehrmacht on the Soviet-German front by the end of 1943 completed a radical change in the course of the Great Patriotic War, which began with the counter-offensive of Soviet troops at Stalingrad, deepened the crisis of the fascist bloc, gave scope to the anti-fascist movement in the occupied countries and Germany itself, and contributed to the strengthening of the anti-Hitler coalition . At the Tehran Conference of 1943, the final decision was made to open a second front in France in May 1944. The war was a fascist German front.

4. Fourth period wars (1 January 1944 - May 9, 1945) Destruction fascist block, exile enemy troops behind limits THE USSR, Creation second front, liberation from occupation countries Europe, full collapse fascist Germany And her unconditional surrender.

In the summer of 1944, an event occurred that decided the outcome of the war in the west: Anglo-American troops landed in France. The so-called Second Front began to operate. Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin agreed on this back in November - December 1943 at a meeting in Tehran. They also decided that at the same time Soviet troops would launch a powerful offensive in Belarus. The German command expected the invasion, but could not determine the beginning and location of the operation. For two months, the Allies carried out diversionary maneuvers and on the night of June 5-6, 1944, unexpectedly for the Germans, in cloudy weather, they dropped three airborne divisions on the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy. At the same time, a fleet with Allied troops moved across the English Channel.

In 1944, the Soviet armed forces fought dozens of battles that went down in history as examples of the outstanding military art of Soviet commanders, the courage and heroism of the soldiers of the Red Army and Navy. Having carried out a series of successive operations, in the first half of 1944 our troops defeated the fascist Army Groups “A” and “South”, defeated Army Groups “North” and liberated part of the Leningrad and Kalinin regions, right-bank Ukraine and Crimea. The blockade of Leningrad was finally lifted, and in Ukraine the Red Army reached the state border, in the foothills of the Carpathians and into the territory of Romania.

The Belarusian and Lvov-Sandomierz operations of Soviet troops carried out in the summer of 1944 covered a vast territory. Soviet troops liberated Belarus, the western regions of Ukraine and part of Poland. Our troops reached the Vistula River and together captured important operational bridgeheads.

The defeat of the enemy in Belarus and the successes of our troops in the southern Crimea of ​​the Soviet-German front created favorable conditions for launching attacks in the northern and southern directions. Areas of Norway were liberated. In the south, our troops began liberating the peoples of Europe from fascism. In September - October 1944, the Red Army liberated part of Czechoslovakia, assisted the Slovak National Uprising, Bulgaria and the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia in the liberation of the territories of these states and continued a powerful offensive to liberate Hungary. The Baltic operation, carried out in September November 1944, ended with the liberation of almost all of the Baltic states. 1944 was the year of the end of the directly people's, patriotic war; the battle for survival is over, the people defended their land, their state independence. Soviet troops, entering the territory of Europe, were guided by duty and responsibility to the people of their country, the peoples of enslaved Europe, which consisted in the need for the complete destruction of Hitler's military machine and the conditions that would allow it to be revived. Liberation mission Soviet army complied with the norms and international agreements developed by the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition throughout the war.

Soviet troops unleashed crushing blows on the enemy, as a result of which the German invaders were expelled from Soviet soil. They carried out a liberation mission in relation to European countries, played a decisive role in the liberation of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria, as well as Albania and other states. They contributed to the liberation of the peoples of Italy, France and other countries from the fascist yoke.

In February 1945, Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met in Yalta to discuss the future of the world after the war was drawing to a close. It was decided to create a United Nations organization and divide defeated Germany into occupation zones. According to the agreement, two to three months after the end of hostilities in Europe, the USSR was to enter the war with Japan.

In the Pacific theater of operations at this time, the allied forces carried out operations to defeat the Japanese fleet, liberated a number of islands occupied by Japan, approached Japan directly and cut off its communications with the countries of the southern seas and Eastern Asia. In April - May 1945, the Soviet armed forces defeated the last groupings of Nazi troops in the Berlin and Prague operations and met with the Allied forces.

In the spring of 1945, relations between England and the USA, on the one hand, and the USSR, on the other, became complicated. According to Churchill, the British and Americans feared that after the victory over Germany it would be difficult to stop “Russian imperialism on the path to world domination,” and therefore decided that last stage war, the allied army must advance as far as possible to the East.

On April 12, 1945, US President Franklin Roosevelt died suddenly. His successor was Harry Truman, who took a tougher position towards the Soviet Union. Roosevelt's death gave Hitler and his circle hope for the collapse of the Allied coalition. But the common goal of England, the USA and the USSR - the destruction of Nazism - prevailed over the increasing mutual mistrust and disagreements.

The war was ending. In April, the Soviet and American armies approached the Elbe River. The physical existence of the fascist leaders also ended. On April 28, Italian partisans executed Mussolini, and on April 30, when street fighting was already taking place in the center of Berlin, Hitler committed suicide. On May 8, an act of unconditional surrender of Germany was signed on the outskirts of Berlin. The war in Europe is over. May 9 became Victory Day, a great holiday of our people and all humanity.

5. Fifth period war. (9 May) 1945 - 2 September 1945) Destruction imperialist Japan. Liberation peoples Asia from Japan. Ending Second World war.

The interests of restoring peace throughout the world also required the rapid elimination of the Far Eastern hotbed of war.

At the Potsdam Conference July 17 - August 2, 1945. The USSR confirmed its consent to enter the war with Japan.

On July 26, 1945, the USA, England and China presented Japan with an ultimatum demanding immediate unconditional surrender. He was rejected. On August 6 in Hiroshima, on August 9, atomic bombs were detonated over Nagasaki. As a result, two cities, completely populated, were virtually wiped off the face of the earth. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan and moved its divisions into Manchuria, a Japanese-occupied province of China. During the Manchurian operation of 1945, Soviet troops, having defeated one of the strongest groupings of Japanese ground forces - the Kwantung Army, eliminated the source of aggression in the Far East, liberated North-Eastern China, North Korea, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, thereby hastening the end of World War II. On August 14, Japan surrendered. The official act of surrender was signed on board the American battleship Missouri on September 2, 1945 by representatives of the USA, England, the USSR and Japan. The Second World War is over.

The defeat of the fascist-militarist bloc was the natural result of a long and bloody war, in which the fate of world civilization and the question of the existence of hundreds of millions of people were decided. In terms of its results, impact on the lives of peoples and their self-awareness, and influence on international processes, the victory over fascism became an event of the greatest historical significance. A difficult path in its own state development passed the countries that participated in the Second World War. The main lesson they learned from the post-war reality was to prevent the unleashing of new aggression on the part of any state.

The decisive factor in the victory over Nazi Germany and its satellites was the struggle of the Soviet Union, which united the efforts of all peoples and states in the battle against fascism.

Victory in World War II is the common merit and joint capital of all states and peoples who fought against the forces of war and obscurantism.

The anti-Hitler coalition initially included 26, and by the end of the war - over 50 states. The second front in Europe was opened by the Allies only in 1944, and one cannot help but admit that the main burden of the war fell on the shoulders of our country.

The Soviet-German front from June 22, 1941 to May 9, 1945 remained the decisive front of the Second World War in terms of the number of troops involved, the duration and intensity of the struggle, its scope and its final results.

Most of the operations carried out by the Red Army during the war were included in the golden fund of military art, they were distinguished by determination, maneuverability and high activity, original plans and their creative implementation.

During the war, a galaxy of commanders, naval commanders and military commanders grew up in the Armed Forces, who successfully controlled troops and naval forces in operations. Among them are G.K. Zhukov, A.M. Vasilevsky, A.N. Antonov, L.A. Govorov, I.S. Konev, K.K. Rokossovsky, S.K. Timoshenko and others.

Great Patriotic War confirmed the fact that the aggressor can be defeated only by uniting the political, economic and military efforts of all states.

In this regard, the fact of the creation and activity of the anti-Hitler coalition - a union of states and peoples who united their efforts against a common enemy - is valuable and instructive. IN modern conditions a war with the use of nuclear weapons threatens civilization itself, so the people of our planet must today realize themselves as one human society, overcome differences, prevent the emergence of dictatorial regimes in any country, and fight for peace on Earth with common efforts.