Wow famous battles. The Greatest Battles of History

The bloodiest battle in the history of mankind is Stalingrad. Nazi Germany lost 841,000 soldiers in the battle. The losses of the USSR amounted to 1,130,000 people. Accordingly, the total death toll was 1,971,000 people.

By the middle of the summer of 1942, the battles of the Great Patriotic War had reached the Volga. The German command also included Stalingrad in the plan for a large-scale offensive in the south of the USSR (Caucasus, Crimea). Hitler wanted to carry out this plan in just a week with the help of the 6th Paulus Field Army. It included 13 divisions, where there were about 270,000 people, 3 thousand guns and about five hundred tanks. From the side of the USSR, the forces of Germany were opposed by the Stalingrad Front. It was created by decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command on July 12, 1942 (commander - Marshal Timoshenko, from July 23 - Lieutenant General Gordov).

On August 23, German tanks approached Stalingrad. From that day on, fascist aviation began to systematically bomb the city. On the ground, battles did not stop either. The defending troops were ordered to hold the city with all their might. With each passing day, the fighting became more and more fierce. All houses were turned into fortresses. Fights went for floors, basements, separate walls.

By November, the Germans had captured almost the entire city. Stalingrad was turned into solid ruins. The defending troops held only a low strip of land - a few hundred meters along the banks of the Volga. Hitler hurried to the whole world to announce the capture of Stalingrad.

On September 12, 1942, at the height of the battles for the city, the General Staff began to develop the offensive operation "Uranus". It was planned by Marshal G.K. Zhukov. The plan was to hit the flanks of the German wedge, which was defended by the Allied troops (Italians, Romanians and Hungarians). Their formations were poorly armed and did not have a high morale. Within two months, under conditions of the deepest secrecy, a strike force was created near Stalingrad. The Germans understood the weakness of their flanks, but could not imagine that the Soviet command would be able to collect such a number of combat-ready units.

On November 19, the Red Army, after a powerful artillery preparation, launched an offensive with the forces of tank and mechanized units. Having overturned Germany's allies, on November 23, Soviet troops closed the ring, surrounding 22 divisions numbering 330 thousand soldiers.

Hitler rejected the option of retreat and ordered the commander-in-chief of the 6th Army, Paulus, to begin defensive battles in the environment. The command of the Wehrmacht tried to release the encircled troops with a strike by the Don army under the command of Manstein. There was an attempt to organize an air bridge, which our aviation stopped. The Soviet command presented an ultimatum to the Surrounded units. Realizing the hopelessness of their situation, on February 2, 1943, the remnants of the 6th Army in Stalingrad surrendered.

2 "Verdun meat grinder"

The Battle of Verdun is one of the largest and one of the bloodiest military operations in the First World War. It took place from February 21 to December 18, 1916 between the troops of France and Germany. Each side unsuccessfully tried to break through the enemy's defenses and launch a decisive offensive. During the nine months of the battle, the front line remained virtually unchanged. Neither side achieved a strategic advantage. It was not by chance that contemporaries called the battle of Verdun a "meat grinder". 305,000 soldiers and officers from both sides lost their lives in a useless confrontation. The losses of the French army, including those killed and wounded, amounted to 543 thousand people, and the German - 434 thousand. 70 French and 50 German divisions passed through the Verdun meat grinder.

After a series of bloody battles on both fronts in 1914-1915, Germany did not have the forces to attack on a wide front, so the goal of the offensive was a powerful blow on a narrow sector - in the area of ​​​​the Verdun fortified region. The breakthrough of the French defense, the encirclement and defeat of 8 French divisions would mean free passage to Paris, followed by the surrender of France.

On a small section of the front, 15 km long, Germany concentrated 6.5 divisions against 2 French divisions. Additional reserves could be brought in to maintain a continuous offensive. The sky was cleared of French aircraft for the unhindered work of German fire spotters and bombers.

The Verdun operation began on 21 February. After a massive 8-hour artillery preparation, the German troops went on the offensive on the right bank of the Meuse River, but met stubborn resistance. The German infantry was advancing in tight battle formations. During the first day of the offensive, the German troops advanced 2 km and took the first position of the French. In the following days, the offensive was carried out according to the same scheme: during the day, the artillery destroyed the next position, and by the evening the infantry occupied it.

By February 25, the French had lost almost all of their forts. Almost without resistance, the Germans managed to take the important Fort Douaumont. However, the French command took measures to eliminate the threat of encirclement of the Verdun fortified area. On the only highway connecting Verdun with the rear, troops from other sectors of the front were transferred in 6,000 vehicles. During the period from February 27 to March 6, about 190,000 soldiers and 25,000 tons of military cargo were delivered to Verdun by motor vehicles. The offensive of the German troops was stopped by almost one and a half superiority in manpower.

The battle took on a protracted character, since March the Germans suffered the main blow to the left bank of the river. After intense fighting, the German troops managed to advance only 6-7 km by May.

The last attempt to capture Verdun was made by the Germans on June 22, 1916. They acted, as always, according to the pattern, at first, after a powerful artillery preparation, the use of gas followed, then the thirty thousandth vanguard of the Germans went on the attack, which acted with the despair of the doomed. The advancing avant-garde managed to destroy the opposing French division and even take Fort Tiamon, located just three kilometers north of Verdun, the walls of the Verdun Cathedral were already visible ahead, but there was simply no one to continue the attack further, the advancing German troops died almost completely on the battlefield, reserves ran out, the general offensive bogged down.

The Brusilovsky breakthrough on the Eastern Front and the Entente operation on the Somme forced the German troops to go on the defensive in the fall, and on October 24, the French troops went on the offensive and by the end of December reached the positions they occupied on February 25, pushing the enemy back 2 km from Fort Duamon.

The battle did not bring any tactical and strategic results - by December 1916, the front line had moved to the lines occupied by both armies by February 25, 1916.

3 Battle of the Somme

The Battle of the Somme is one of the largest battles of World War I, with over 1,000,000 killed and wounded, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history. Only on the first day of the campaign, July 1, 1916, the English landing lost 60,000 people. The operation dragged on for five months. The number of divisions participating in the battle increased from 33 to 149. As a result, the French losses amounted to 204,253 people, the British - 419,654 people, a total of 623,907 people, of which 146,431 people were killed and missing. German losses amounted to more than 465,000 people, of which 164,055 were killed and missing.

The offensive plan on all fronts, including the Western one, was developed and approved as early as early March 1916 in Chantilly. The combined army of the French and British was to launch an offensive against the fortified German positions in early July, and the Russian and Italian 15 days earlier than this. In May, the plan was significantly changed, the French, who had lost over half a million soldiers killed near Verdun, could no longer put up in the upcoming battle the number of soldiers that the allies demanded. As a result, the length of the front was reduced from 70 to 40 kilometers.

On June 24, British artillery began heavy shelling of German positions near the Somme River. As a result of this shelling, the Germans lost more than half of their entire artillery and the entire first line of defense, after which they immediately began to pull reserve divisions into the breakthrough area.

On July 1, as planned, the infantry was launched, which easily overcame the almost destroyed first line of German troops, but when moving to the second and third positions, lost a huge number of soldiers and was thrown back. On this day, over 20 thousand English and French soldiers died, more than 35 thousand were seriously injured, some of them were taken prisoner. At the same time, the small French not only captured and held the second line of defense, but also took Barlet, however, leaving it a few hours later, since the commander was not ready for such a quick turn of events and ordered to retreat. A new offensive on the French sector of the front began only on July 5, but by this time the Germans had pulled several additional divisions to this area, as a result, several thousand soldiers died, but the city, abandoned so recklessly, was not taken. The French tried to capture Barlet from the moment they retreated in July until the month of October.

Already a month after the start of the battle, the British and French lost so many soldiers that 9 additional divisions were brought into battle, while Germany transferred as many as 20 divisions to the Somme. By August, against 500 British aircraft, the Germans were able to field only 300, and against 52 divisions, only 31.

The situation for Germany became much more complicated after the implementation of the Brusilov breakthrough by the Russian troops, the German command depleted all its reserves and was forced to switch to planned defense from the last forces, not only on the Somme, but also near Verdun.

Under these conditions, the British decided to make another attempt at a breakthrough, scheduled for September 3, 1916. After the artillery shelling, all available reserves, including the French, were thrown into action, and on September 15, tanks went into battle for the first time. In total, the command had at its disposal about 50 tanks with a well-trained crew, but only 18 of them actually took part in the battle. A big miscalculation of the designers and developers of the tank offensive was the rejection of the fact that the terrain near the river was swampy, and bulky, clumsy tanks simply could not get out of the swamp. However, the British were able to advance deep into the enemy positions for several tens of kilometers and on September 27 they were able to capture the heights between the Somme River and the small river Ancre.

A further offensive did not make sense, since the exhausted soldiers would not be able to hold the recaptured positions, therefore, despite several offensive attempts made in October, in fact, no military operations had been conducted in this area since November, and the operation was completed.

4 Battle of Leipzig

The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, is the largest battle in the Napoleonic Wars and in world history before the First World War. The French army, according to rough estimates, lost 70-80 thousand soldiers near Leipzig, of which about 40 thousand were killed and wounded, 15 thousand prisoners, another 15 thousand were captured in hospitals, and up to 5 thousand Saxons went over to the Allied side. According to the French historian T. Lenz, the losses of the Napoleonic army amounted to 70 thousand killed, wounded and captured, another 15-20 thousand German soldiers went over to the side of the Allies. In addition to combat losses, the lives of the soldiers of the retreating army were carried away by a typhus epidemic. Allied losses amounted to 54,000 killed and wounded, including up to 23,000 Russians, 16,000 Prussians, 15,000 Austrians and 180 Swedes.

From October 16 to October 19, 1813, a battle took place near Leipzig between the armies of Napoleon I and the sovereigns united against him: Russian, Austrian, Prussian and Swedish. The forces of the latter were divided into three armies: the Bohemian (main), Silesian and northern, but only the first two of them participated in the battle on October 16. The bloody actions of that day did not bring any significant results.

On October 17, both warring parties remained inactive, and only on the north side of Leipzig did a cavalry skirmish occur. During this day, the position of the French deteriorated significantly, since only one Renier corps (15 thousand) came to reinforce them, and the allies were strengthened by the newly arrived northern army. Napoleon found out about this, but did not dare to retreat, because, retreating, he left the possessions of his ally, the king of Saxony, in the hands of the enemies, and finally abandoned the French garrisons scattered at various points on the Vistula, Oder and Elbe to the mercy of fate. By the evening of the 17th, he pulled his troops to new positions, closer to Leipzig, on October 18, the allies resumed the attack along the entire line, but, despite the enormous superiority of their forces, the result of the battle was again far from decisive: on the right wing of Napoleon, all the attacks of the Bohemian army were repulsed; in the center, the French lost several villages and retreated back to Leipzig; their left wing held its ground north of Leipzig; in the rear, the French retreat route to Weissenfels remained free.

The main reasons for the small success of the Allies were the timing of their attacks and the inactivity of the reserve, which Prince Schwarzenberg did not know how or did not want to properly use, contrary to the insistence of Emperor Alexander. Meanwhile, Napoleon, taking advantage of the fact that the retreat route remained open, began to send back his carts and separate parts of the troops before noon, and on the night of 18-19 the entire French army retreated to Leipzig and beyond. For the defense of the city itself, 4 corps were left. The commander of the rear guard, MacDonald, was ordered to hold out until at least 12 noon the next day, and then retreat, blowing up the only bridge on the Elster River behind him.

On the morning of October 19, a new Allied attack followed. About one o'clock in the afternoon, the allied monarchs could already enter the city, in some parts of which fierce fighting was still in full swing. Due to a disastrous mistake for the French, the bridge on the Elster was blown up prematurely. The cut off troops of their rearguard were partly taken prisoner, partly died, trying to escape by swimming across the river.

The battle of Leipzig, in terms of the size of the forces of both sides (Napoleon had 190,000, with 700 guns; the allies had up to 300,000 and more than 1,300 guns) and because of its enormous consequences, is called by the Germans the "battle of the peoples." The consequence of this battle was the liberation of Germany and the falling away from Napoleon of the troops of the Confederation of the Rhine.

5 Battle of Borodino

The battle of Borodino is considered the bloodiest one-day battle in history. During it, every hour, about 6 thousand people died or were injured, according to the most conservative estimates. During the battle, the Russian army lost about 30% of its composition, the French - about 25%. In absolute numbers, this is about 60 thousand killed on both sides. But, according to some reports, up to 100 thousand people were killed during the battle and died later from wounds.

The battle of Borodino took place 125 kilometers west of Moscow, near the village of Borodino, on August 26 (September 7, old style), 1812. French troops under the leadership of Napoleon I Bonaparte invaded the territory of the Russian Empire in June 1812 and reached the capital itself by the end of August. The Russian troops constantly retreated and, naturally, caused great discontent both in society and in Emperor Alexander I himself. To turn the tide, the commander-in-chief Barclay de Tolly was removed, and Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov took his place. But the new head of the Russian army also preferred to retreat: on the one hand, he wanted to wear down the enemy, on the other, Kutuzov was waiting for reinforcements to give a general battle. After the retreat near Smolensk, Kutuzov's army settled down near the village of Borodino - there was nowhere to retreat further. It was here that the most famous battle of the entire Patriotic War of 1812 took place.

At 6 am, the French artillery opened fire on the entire front. The French troops lined up for the attack launched their onslaught on the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment. Desperately resisting, the regiment retreated across the Koloch River. The flashes, who would become known as the Bagrationovs, protected the chasseur regiments of Prince Shakhovsky from being bypassed. Ahead, the huntsmen also lined up in a cordon. The division of Major General Neverovsky took up positions behind the flushes.

The troops of Major General Duka occupied the Semyonov Heights. This area was attacked by the cavalry of Marshal Murat, the troops of Marshals Ney and Davout, and the corps of General Junot. The number of attackers reached 115 thousand people.

The course of the Battle of Borodino after the repulsed attacks of the French at 6 and 7 o'clock continued with another attempt to take flushes on the left flank. By that time, they were reinforced by the Izmailovsky and Lithuanian regiments, the Konovnitsin division and cavalry units. On the French side, it was in this sector that serious artillery forces were concentrated - 160 guns. However, subsequent attacks (at 8 and 9 in the morning) were, despite the incredible intensity of the fighting, completely unsuccessful. The French briefly managed to take possession of the flushes at 9 am. But, soon they were knocked out of the Russian fortifications by a powerful counterattack. The half-ruined flushes held on stubbornly, repelling subsequent attacks from the enemy.

Konovnitsin withdrew his troops to Semyonovskoye only after the holding of these fortifications ceased to be a necessity. Semyonovsky ravine became a new line of defense. The exhausted troops of Davout and Murat, who did not receive reinforcements (Napoleon did not dare to bring the Old Guard into battle), were unable to carry out a successful attack.

The situation was extremely difficult in other areas as well. The barrow height was attacked at the same time that the battle for the capture of flushes was in full swing on the left flank. Raevsky's battery held the height, despite the powerful onslaught of the French under the command of Eugene Beauharnais. After reinforcements arrived, the French were forced to retreat.

Actions on the right flank were no less intense. Lieutenant-General Uvarov and Ataman Platov with a cavalry raid deep into the enemy positions, committed at about 10 o'clock in the morning, pulled back significant French forces. This allowed to weaken the onslaught along the entire front. Platov was able to reach the rear of the French (the Valuevo area), which suspended the offensive in the central direction. Uvarov made an equally successful maneuver in the Bezzubovo area.

The battle of Borodino lasted all day and gradually began to subside only by 6 pm. Another attempt to bypass the Russian positions was successfully repelled by the soldiers of the Life Guards of the Finnish Regiment in the Utitsky forest. After that, Napoleon gave the order to withdraw to their original positions. The Battle of Borodino lasted more than 12 hours.

Moscow battle 1941– 1942 There are two main stages in the battle: defensive (September 30 - December 5, 1941) and offensive (December 5, 1941 - April 20, 1942). At the first stage, the goal of the Soviet troops was the defense of Moscow, at the second - the defeat of the enemy forces advancing on Moscow.

By the beginning of the German offensive on Moscow, the Army Group Center (Field Marshal F. Bock) had 74.5 divisions (approximately 38% of infantry and 64% of tank and mechanized divisions operating on the Soviet-German front), 1,800,000 people, 1,700 tanks, over 14,000 guns and mortars, 1,390 aircraft. The Soviet troops had 1,250,000 men, 990 tanks, 7,600 guns and mortars, and 677 aircraft in the Western direction as part of three fronts.

At the first stage, the Soviet troops of the Western Front (Colonel General I.S. Konev, and from October 10 - Army General G.K. Zhukov), Bryansk (until October 10 - Colonel General A.I. Eremenko) and Kalininsky (from October 17 - I.S. Konev) of the fronts stopped the offensive of the troops of the Army Group "Center" (the implementation of the German operation "Typhoon") at the turn south of the Volga reservoir, Dmitrov, Yakhroma, Krasnaya Polyana (27 km from Moscow), east of Istra, west of Kubinka , Naro-Fominsk, west of Serpukhov, east of Aleksin, Tula. During the defensive battles, the enemy was significantly bled. On December 5-6, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive, and on January 7-10, 1942, they launched a general offensive on the entire front. In January-April 1942, the troops of the Western, Kalinin, Bryansk (since December 18 - Colonel General Ya.T. Cherevichenko) and Northwestern (Lieutenant General P.A. Kurochkin) fronts defeated the enemy and drove him back for 100-250 km. 11 tank, 4 motorized and 23 infantry divisions were defeated. The losses of the enemy only for the period of January 1 - March 30, 1942 amounted to 333 thousand people.

The Moscow battle was of great importance: the myth of the invincibility of the German army was dispelled, the plan for a blitzkrieg was thwarted, and the international position of the USSR was strengthened.

Battle of Stalingrad 1942 - 1943 Defensive (July 17 - November 18, 1942) and offensive (November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943) operations carried out by Soviet troops to defend Stalingrad and defeat a large enemy strategic group operating in the Stalingrad direction.

In defensive battles in the Stalingrad region and in the city itself, the troops of the Stalingrad Front (Marshal S.K. Timoshenko, from July 23 - Lieutenant General V.N. Gordov, from August 5 - Colonel General A.I. Eremenko) and the Don Front (since September 28 - Lieutenant General K.K. Rokossovsky) managed to stop the offensive of the 6th Army, Colonel General F. Paulus and the 4th Tank Army. By July 17, the 6th Army included 13 divisions (about 270 thousand people, 3 thousand guns and mortars, about 500 tanks). They were supported by aviation of the 4th Air Fleet (up to 1200 aircraft). The troops of the Stalingrad Front numbered 160 thousand people, 2.2 thousand guns, about 400 tanks and 454 aircraft. At the cost of great efforts, the command of the Soviet troops managed not only to stop the advance of German troops in Stalingrad, but also to gather significant forces for the start of the counteroffensive (1,103 thousand people, 15,500 guns and mortars, 1,463 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1,350 combat aircraft). By this time, a significant grouping of German troops and forces of Germany's allied countries (in particular, the 8th Italian, 3rd and 4th Romanian armies) was sent to help the troops of Field Marshal F. Paulus. The total number of enemy troops by the beginning of the Soviet counteroffensive was 1,011.5 thousand people, 10,290 guns and mortars, 675 tanks and assault guns, and 1,216 combat aircraft.

On November 19-20, the troops of the Southwestern Front (Lieutenant General N.F. Vatutin), the Stalingrad and Don Fronts went on the offensive and surrounded 22 divisions (330 thousand people) in the Stalingrad area. Having repelled an enemy attempt to free the encircled grouping in December, the Soviet troops liquidated it. January 31 - February 2, 1943 the remnants of the 6th army of the enemy, led by Field Marshal F. Paulus, surrendered (91 thousand people).

The victory at Stalingrad marked the beginning of a radical change in the course of the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War.

Battle of Kursk 1943 Defensive (July 5 - 23) and offensive (July 12 - August 23) operations carried out by Soviet troops in the Kursk region to disrupt a major German offensive and defeat the enemy's strategic grouping. The German command, after the defeat of its troops at Stalingrad, intended to conduct a major offensive operation in the Kursk region (Operation Citadel). Significant enemy forces were involved in its implementation - 50 divisions (including 16 tank and mechanized) and a number of separate units of the Army Group Center (General Field Marshal G. Kluge) and Army Group South (General Field Marshal E .Manstein). This amounted to about 70% of tank, up to 30% of motorized and more than 20% of infantry divisions operating on the Soviet-German front, as well as over 65% of all combat aircraft. About 20 enemy divisions operated on the flanks of the strike groupings. The ground forces were supported by aviation of the 4th and 6th air fleets. In total, the enemy strike groupings included over 900 thousand people, about 10 thousand guns and mortars, up to 2700 tanks and self-propelled guns (most of them were new designs - Tigers, Panthers and Ferdinands) and about 2050 aircraft (including the latest designs - Focke-Wulf-190A and Henkel-129).

The Soviet command assigned the task of repulsing the enemy offensive to the troops of the Central Front (from the side of Orel) and the Voronezh Front (from the side of Belgorod). After solving the problems of defense, it was planned to defeat the Oryol grouping of the enemy (Plan "Kutuzov") by the troops of the right wing of the Central Front (General of the Army K.K. Rokossovsky), Bryansk (Colonel General M.M. Popov) and the left wing of the Western Front (Colonel General V.D.Sokolovsky). The offensive operation in the Belgorod-Kharkov direction (the plan "Commander Rumyantsev") was to be carried out by the forces of the Voronezh Front (Army General N.F. Vatutin) and the Steppe Front (Colonel General I.S. Konev) in cooperation with the troops of the South-Western Front (General of the Army R.Ya. Malinovsky). The overall coordination of the actions of all these forces was entrusted to the representatives of the Stavka Marshals G.K. Zhukov and A.M. Vasilevsky.

By early July, the Central and Voronezh Fronts had 1,336,000 men, over 19,000 guns and mortars, 3,444 tanks and self-propelled guns (including 900 light tanks), and 2,172 aircraft. In the rear of the Kursk ledge, the Steppe Military District (from July 9 - the front) was deployed, which was the strategic reserve of the Headquarters.

The enemy offensive was to begin at 3 o'clock in the morning on July 5. However, just before it began, the Soviet troops carried out artillery counter-preparation and inflicted heavy damage on the enemy in the places of his concentration. The German offensive began only after 2.5 hours and was not originally conceived. By the measures taken, it was possible to restrain the advance of the enemy (in 7 days he managed to advance only 10-12 km in the direction of the Central Front). The most powerful enemy grouping operated on the direction of the Voronezh Front. Here the advance of the enemy was up to 35 km deep into the defense of the Soviet troops. On July 12, there was a turning point in the course of the battle. On this day, the largest oncoming tank battle in history took place in the Prokhorovka area, in which 1200 tanks and self-propelled guns took part on both sides. The enemy lost here only on this day up to 400 tanks and self-propelled guns and 10 thousand people. On July 12, a new stage began in the Battle of Kursk, during which the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops developed as part of the Oryol operation and the Belgorod-Kharkov operation, culminating in the liberation of Orel and Belgorod on August 5, and Kharkov on August 23.

As a result of the Battle of Kursk, 30 enemy divisions (including 7 tank divisions) were completely defeated. The enemy lost over 500 thousand people, 1.5 thousand tanks, over 3.7 thousand aircraft, 3 thousand guns.

The main outcome of the battle was the transition of German troops in all theaters of operations to strategic defense. The strategic initiative finally passed into the hands of the Soviet command. In the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War, a radical change started by the Battle of Stalingrad ended.

Belarusian operation (June 23– August 29, 1944). The code name is Operation Bagration. One of the largest strategic offensive operations undertaken by the Soviet high command to defeat the Nazi Army Group Center and liberate Belarus. The total number of enemy troops was 63 divisions and 3 brigades of 1.2 million people, 9.5 thousand guns, 900 tanks and 1350 aircraft. Field Marshal E. Bush commanded the enemy grouping, and from June 28 - Field Marshal V. Model. She was opposed by the Soviet troops of four fronts (1st Baltic, 3rd Belorussian, 2nd Belorussian and 1st Belorussian) under the command of General of the Army I.Kh. Bagramyan, General of the Army I.D. Chernyakhovsky, General of the Army G. F. Zakharov and Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky. Four fronts united 20 combined arms and 2 tank armies (a total of 166 divisions, 12 tank and mechanized corps, 7 fortified areas and 21 brigades). The total number of Soviet troops reached 2.4 million people, armed with about 36 thousand guns, 5.2 thousand tanks, 5.3 thousand combat aircraft.

According to the nature of the hostilities and the achievement of the tasks set, the operation is divided into two stages. On the first (June 23 - July 4), the Vitebsk-Orsha, Mogilev, Bobruisk and Polotsk operations were carried out and the encirclement of the Minsk enemy grouping was completed. At the second stage (July 5 - August 29), the encircled enemy was destroyed and the Soviet troops entered new lines during the Siauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas, Bialystok and Lublin-Brest operations. During the Belarusian operation, the enemy completely lost 17 divisions and 3 brigades, and 50 divisions lost more than 50% of their composition. The total losses of the enemy amounted to about 500 thousand killed, wounded and captured. During the operation, Lithuania and Latvia were partially liberated. On July 20, the Red Army entered the territory of Poland and on August 17 approached the borders of East Prussia. By August 29, she entered the suburbs of Warsaw. In general, on a front with a length of 1100 km, our troops advanced 550-600 km, completely cutting off the northern enemy grouping in the Baltic. For participation in the operation, over 400 thousand soldiers and officers of the Soviet Army were awarded military orders and medals.

Berlin operation 1945 The final strategic offensive operation carried out by the Soviet troops on April 16 - May 8, 1945. The purpose of the operation was to defeat the group of German troops defending in the Berlin direction, capture Berlin and reach the Elbe to join the Allied forces. In the Berlin direction, the troops of the Vistula group and the Center group under the command of Colonel General G. Heinrici and Field Marshal F. Scherner took up the defense. The total number of enemy troops was 1 million people, 10,400 guns, 1,500 tanks, 3,300 aircraft. In the rear of these army groups were reserve units consisting of 8 divisions, as well as the Berlin garrison of 200 thousand people.

The troops of three fronts were involved in the operation: the 2nd Belorussian (Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky), the 1st Belorussian (Marshal G.K. Zhukov), the 1st Ukrainian (Marshal I.S. Konev). According to the nature of the tasks performed and the results, the Berlin operation is divided into 3 stages: 1st stage - breakthrough of the Oder-Neissen line of enemy defense (April 16 - 19); 2nd stage - encirclement and dismemberment of enemy troops (April 19 - 25); 3rd stage - the destruction of the encircled groups and the capture of Berlin (April 26 - May 8). The main goals of the operation were achieved in 16-17 days.

For the success of the operation, 1,082,000 soldiers were awarded the medal "For the Capture of Berlin". More than 600 participants in the operation became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and 13 people. were awarded the 2nd Gold Star medal.

The heroism and courage of Soviet soldiers shown during the battles of the Great Patriotic War deserve eternal memory. The wisdom of military leaders, which has become one of the most important components of the common victory, does not cease to amaze even today.

Over the long years of the war, so many battles took place that even some historians disagree on the interpretation of the meaning of certain battles. And yet, the largest battles, which have a significant impact on the further course of hostilities, are known to almost every person. It is these battles that will be discussed in our article.

In the four years that elapsed between the unannounced start of the war and the signing of the German surrender, the parties fought countless battles. Some of them entered military history forever as battles that determined the outcome of the most terrible war in the history of mankind. Today Primorskaya Gazeta will remember the five most significant battles of the Great Patriotic War.

1. Moscow battle (1941 - 1942)

In early September 1941, the German command began preparing an operation to capture Moscow. The idea of ​​the operation was to encircle the main forces of the Red Army troops covering the capital with powerful strikes by large groupings and destroy them in the Bryansk and Vyazma regions, and then swiftly bypass Moscow from the north and south in order to capture it. The operation to take Moscow was codenamed "Typhoon".

Right from the parade, the Red Army soldiers go to the front

To implement this plan, the German command managed to create an impressive superiority in manpower and technology in the directions of the main attacks.

The general offensive of the German troops began on September 30, 1941, and by October 7 they managed to encircle four Soviet armies west of Vyazma and two south of Bryansk. The way to Moscow, as the German command believed, was open. But the plans of the Nazis were not destined to come true. The encircled Soviet armies pinned down about 20 German divisions in stubborn battles for two weeks. At this time, the Mozhaisk line of defense was hastily strengthened, reserve troops were urgently pulled up. Georgy Zhukov was recalled from the Leningrad Front, and on October 10 he took command of the Western Front.

Despite heavy losses, the Germans continued to rush towards Moscow. They captured Kalinin, Mozhaisk, Maloyaroslavets. In mid-October, government agencies, the diplomatic corps, industrial enterprises, and the population began to be evacuated from Moscow. The rush to carry out the evacuation created confusion and panic. Rumors spread around Moscow about the planned surrender of the city to the Germans. This forced the State Defense Committee to introduce a state of siege in Moscow from October 20.

By the beginning of November, the defenders of the city managed to stop the enemy advance, and on December 5, the Soviet troops, having repelled a number of attacks, went on the offensive. On the fields of the Moscow region, Germany suffered its first major defeat in World War II, and the myth of the invincibility of its army was dispelled. The Germans lost a total of more than half a million people, 1300 tanks, 2500 guns, more than 15 thousand vehicles and many other equipment.

2. Battle of Stalingrad (1942 - 1943)

Encouraged by the successes near Moscow, the Soviet leadership tried to seize the strategic initiative and in May 1942 threw large forces into the offensive near Kharkov. For the Wehrmacht, this operation came as a complete surprise, and at first the Soviet offensive was a serious threat to the German Army Group South.

The German military leaders, however, demonstrated that they are capable of making bold decisions in critical situations, and thanks to the concentration of troops on a narrow sector of the front, they were able to break through the Soviet defenses, take the advancing group into a “cauldron” and defeat it.

Street fighting in Stalingrad

The “Kharkov catastrophe” was a serious blow to the morale of the USSR army, but the worst consequence was that the road to the Caucasus and the Volga direction was no longer covered by anyone.

In May 1942, the Fuhrer of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler, personally intervened in strategic planning and ordered the division of Army Group South into two groups. One of them was supposed to continue the offensive into the northern Caucasus, and group "B", including the 6th Army of Paulus and the 4th Panzer Army of Hoth, was to move east towards the Volga and Stalingrad.

The capture of Stalingrad was very important to Hitler for several reasons. It was a large industrial city on the banks of the Volga, along which strategically important transport routes ran, connecting the center of Russia with the southern regions of the USSR. The capture of Stalingrad would allow the Nazis to cut off the water and land communications vital for the USSR, reliably cover the left flank of the German troops advancing into the Caucasus and create serious problems with the supply of the Red Army units that opposed them. Finally, the very fact that the city bore the name of Stalin - Hitler's ideological enemy - made the capture of the city a winning ideological and propaganda move.

However, the defenders of Stalingrad managed not only to defend their city, but also to surround and then destroy the enemy army along with the formations rushing to its aid.

German fighter shot down in the sky over Stalingrad

Only from January 10 to February 2, 1943, over 91 thousand people were taken prisoner, including two and a half thousand officers and 24 generals. In total, during the Battle of Stalingrad, the enemy lost about one and a half million people killed, wounded, captured and missing - a quarter of his forces operating on the Soviet-German front.

The victory of the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad was of great political and international significance, it had a significant impact on the development of the Resistance Movement on the territory of European states occupied by the fascist invaders. As a result of the battle, the Soviet armed forces wrested the strategic initiative from the enemy and held it until the end of the war.

3. Battle of Kursk (1943)

The successes achieved at Stalingrad were consolidated in the summer of that year.

During the winter offensive of the Red Army and the subsequent counter-offensive of the Wehrmacht in Eastern Ukraine, a ledge up to 150 km deep and up to 200 km wide was formed in the center of the Soviet-German front, facing the west - the so-called "Kursk Bulge". The German command, comforting itself with the hope of regaining the strategic initiative, decided to conduct a strategic operation on the Kursk salient. For this, a military operation was developed and approved, code-named "Citadel". Having information about the preparation of the enemy troops for the offensive, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command decided to temporarily go on the defensive on the Kursk Bulge and, during the defensive battle, bleed the enemy strike groups and thereby create favorable conditions for the transition of the Soviet troops to the counteroffensive, and then to the general strategic offensive.

Soviet soldiers advance under cover of tanks

To carry out Operation Citadel, the German command concentrated about 70% of tank divisions, up to 30% of motorized and more than 20% of infantry divisions, as well as over 65% of all combat aircraft operating on the Soviet-German front, in a narrow sector.

On July 5, 1943, according to the plan of the operation, German strike groups launched an attack on Kursk from the Orel and Belgorod regions, and on July 12, in the area of ​​​​the Prokhorovka railway station, 56 kilometers north of Belgorod, the largest oncoming tank battle of the Second World War took place. On both sides, up to 1200 tanks and self-propelled guns took part in the battle. The fierce battle lasted all day, by the evening the tank crews, together with the infantry, fought hand to hand.

Despite the massive offensive, the Soviet troops managed to stop the advance of the enemy deep into the Kursk ledge, and just a day later, the troops of the Bryansk, Central and Western fronts organized a counteroffensive. By July 18, the Soviet army completely eliminated the enemy's wedge in the Kursk direction, a little later, the troops of the Steppe Front were introduced into the battle, which began to pursue the retreating enemy.

Counteroffensive of the Red Army

Developing the offensive, the Soviet ground forces, supported from the air by strikes from the forces of two air armies, as well as long-range aviation, pushed the enemy back to the west, liberated Orel, Belgorod and Kharkov.

According to Soviet sources, the Wehrmacht lost over 500 thousand soldiers and officers, 1.5 thousand tanks, more than 3.7 thousand aircraft, and three thousand guns in the Battle of Kursk. The losses of the Soviet troops were even worse. 863 thousand people did not return from the battle, and the armored fleet was scant for six thousand vehicles.

However, the demographic resources of the USSR were much higher than the German ones, so the Battle of Kursk was more difficult for the invaders. The balance of forces at the front changed dramatically in favor of the Red Army, which provided it with favorable conditions for launching a general strategic offensive. The whole world realized that the defeat of Nazi Germany was a matter of time.

4. Belarusian operation (1944)

One of the largest military operations in the history of mankind, in which up to four million people took part on both sides (according to various sources).

By June 1944, the front line in the east approached the line Vitebsk - Orsha - Mogilev - Zhlobin, forming a huge ledge - a wedge facing deep into the USSR, the so-called "Belarusian balcony". If in Ukraine the Red Army managed to achieve a series of impressive successes (almost the entire territory of the republic was liberated, the Wehrmacht suffered heavy losses in the chain of "boilers"), then when trying to break through in the direction of Minsk in the winter of 1943-1944, the successes, on the contrary, were quite modest.

Artillery attack on German positions

At the same time, by the end of the spring of 1944, the offensive in the south slowed down, and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, on the initiative of Konstantin Rokossovsky, decided to change the direction of efforts.

The purpose of the operation was to defeat the German Army Group Center and liberate Belarus with subsequent entry into the territories of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. This offensive operation was included in the operational documents of the Headquarters under the code name "Bagration".

The plan of the operation provided for a simultaneous breakthrough of the enemy's defenses in six sections of the "Belarusian Balcony".

The operation consisted of two stages. During the first, which lasted from June 23 to July 4, Soviet troops broke through the front and, with the help of a series of enveloping maneuvers, surrounded large German groups. Near Bobruisk, Soviet troops for the first time used a massive air strike to destroy the encircled grouping, which disorganized and dispersed the German units going to break through.

To the west!

As a result, the main forces of Army Group Center were defeated, a 400-kilometer gap was formed in the center of the Soviet-German front, and Soviet troops were able to advance to the West. A huge role in this operation was played by the Belarusian partisans, who disorganized the operational rear of the Germans, paralyzing the transfer of reserves to them.

At the second stage (July 5 - August 29), operations were carried out that ensured the further advance of the Soviet troops deep into the territories that until recently were under the control of the enemy.

During the Belarusian operation, the army of the USSR liberated all of Belarus, most of Lithuania and Latvia, entered the territory of Poland and advanced to the borders of East Prussia. For the operation, Army General Konstantin Rokossovsky received the rank of Marshal.

5. Berlin operation (1945)

One of the last strategic operations of the Soviet troops in the European theater of operations, during which the Red Army occupied the capital of Germany and victoriously ended the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War in Europe. The operation lasted 23 days - from April 16 to May 8, 1945, during which Soviet troops advanced westward at a distance of 100 to 220 km.

After fighting on the streets of Berlin

At the final stage of the Great Patriotic War, the world community no longer had any doubts that the anti-Hitler coalition would win the protracted war. However, the German leadership hoped to the last to mitigate the consequences of the war. In particular, the Germans wanted to conclude a separate peace with Great Britain and the United States, and then, left alone with the Soviet Union, gradually restore strategic equality.

Therefore, the Soviet command required quick and bold decisions aimed at the speedy end of the war. It was necessary to prepare and carry out an operation to defeat the grouping of German troops in the Berlin direction, capture Berlin and reach the Elbe River to join the Allied forces. The successful fulfillment of this strategic task made it possible to frustrate the plans of the Hitlerite leadership.

The troops of three fronts were involved in the operation: the 2nd Belorussian under the leadership of Marshal Rokossovsky, the 1st Belorussian (Marshal G.K. Zhukov) and the 1st Ukrainian (Marshal I.S. Konev). In total, the advancing troops included up to 2.5 million soldiers and officers, 41,600 guns and mortars, 6,250 tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts, 7,500 aircraft, as well as part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet and the Dnieper military flotilla.

According to the nature of the tasks performed and the results, the Berlin operation was divided into three stages. First, the Oder-Neisen line of defense of the enemy was broken through, then the enemy troops were surrounded and dismembered.

On April 30, 1945, at 21:30, units of the 150th Infantry Division under the command of Major General V. M. Shatilov and the 171st Infantry Division under the command of Colonel A. I. Negoda stormed the main part of the Reichstag building. The remaining Nazi units offered stubborn resistance. We had to fight for every room. In the early morning of May 1, the assault flag of the 150th Infantry Division was raised over the Reichstag, but the battle for the Reichstag continued all day, and only on the night of May 2 did the Reichstag garrison capitulate.

On May 1, only the Tiergarten area and the government quarter remained in German hands. The imperial office was located here, in the courtyard of which there was a bunker at Hitler's headquarters. On the night of May 1, by prior arrangement, the Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, General Krebs, arrived at the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army. He informed the commander of the army, General V. I. Chuikov, about Hitler's suicide and about the proposal of the new German government to conclude a truce. However, the German government rejected the demand for unconditional surrender, and the Soviet troops resumed the assault with renewed vigor.

Soviet soldiers against the backdrop of the captured Reichstag

In the first hour of the night on May 2, the radio stations of the 1st Belorussian Front received a message in Russian: “Please cease fire. We are sending parliamentarians to the Potsdam Bridge.” A German officer who arrived at the appointed place on behalf of the commander of the defense of Berlin, General Weidling, announced the readiness of the Berlin garrison to stop resistance. At 6 am on May 2, General of Artillery Weidling, accompanied by three German generals, crossed the front line and surrendered. An hour later, while at the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army, he wrote a surrender order, which was duplicated and, using loud-speaking installations and radio, brought to enemy units defending in the center of Berlin. As this order was brought to the attention of the defenders, resistance in the city ceased. By the end of the day, the troops of the 8th Guards Army cleared the central part of the city from the enemy. Separate units that did not want to surrender tried to break through to the west, but were destroyed or scattered.

Alexey Mikhaldyk

This reference and information collection "Frontiers of the Fatherland's Military Glory: People, Events, Facts", prepared by the team of authors of the Institute of Military History of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, is part of the practical implementation of the State Program "Patriotic Education of Citizens of the Russian Federation for 2001-2005", adopted on 16 February 2001 by the Government of the Russian Federation. The state status of the Program requires, for its implementation, the combined efforts of federal executive authorities, executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, scientific, creative, public and other organizations of the country. The program defines the main ways of developing the system of patriotic education of citizens of the Russian Federation.

The content of the Program was based on the Federal Laws of the Russian Federation "On Education", "On Higher and Postgraduate Professional Education", "On Military Duty and Military Service", "On Veterans", "On the Days of Military Glory (Victorious Days) of Russia" , "On perpetuating the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945". Law of the Russian Federation "On perpetuating the memory of those who died defending the Fatherland", as well as Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 31, 1999 N 1441 "On approval of the Regulations on the preparation of citizens of the Russian Federation for military service" and Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of January 10, 2000 No. 24 "On the Concept of National Security of the Russian Federation".

As part of the implementation of this State Program, aimed at maintaining socio-political stability in society, restoring the economy and strengthening the country's defense capability, this work has also been prepared. The book briefly provides reference material on the most significant battles and battles in the military history of Russia, gives an assessment of military reforms and some prominent Russian military reformers. The work reflects the biographical data of prominent commanders, naval commanders and military leaders of Russia, military ministers. The work shows the evolution of power structures in Russia and the USSR from ancient times to the beginning of the 21st century. For convenience, the information is given in chronological order. The book is intended for everyone who is interested in the glorious military past of our Motherland.

The most significant battles and battles in the military history of Russia
Until the second half of the XIX century. It was customary to call a battle a decisive clash of the main forces of the belligerents, which unfolded in a limited space and had the character of a massive bloody and relatively fleeting hand-to-hand fight in order to defeat the enemy.

In the wars of the XX century. A battle is a series of simultaneous and successive offensive and defensive operations of large groupings of troops in the most important directions or theaters of military operations.

An operation is usually understood as a set of battles, battles, strikes and maneuvers that are coordinated and interconnected in purpose, tasks, place and time, carried out simultaneously and sequentially according to a single plan and plan to solve problems in a theater of operations or a strategic direction.

The battle is an integral part of the operation and is a set of the most important battles and strikes carried out sequentially or simultaneously on the entire front or in a separate direction. Until the beginning of the 20th century. battles were divided into private and general, and in many cases the concept of "battle" was identified with the concepts of "battle" and "battle".

Battles and battles X - early XX centuries. Battle of Dorostol 971
Kiev Prince Svyatoslav in 969 undertook a campaign in Bulgaria. The military successes of the Rus near Philippopolis and Adrianople, the possibility of creating a strong Russian-Bulgarian state alarmed Byzantium. Svyatoslav, who had a 30,000th army, was opposed by the commander Tzimiskes with 30,000 infantry and 15,000 cavalry.

On April 23, 971, the Byzantine army approached Dorostol (now the city of Silistria in Bulgaria). On the same day, the first battle took place, the beginning of which was an ambush attack by a small Russian detachment on the vanguard of the Byzantines. Svyatoslav's troops stood in the usual order of battle, closing their shields and putting up their spears. Emperor Tzimiskes lined up horsemen in iron armor on the flanks of the infantry, and behind were arrows and slingers who constantly showered stones and arrows on the enemy. Two days later, the Byzantine fleet approached Dorostol, and Tzimiskes stormed the city walls, but he failed. By the end of the day on April 25, the city was completely surrounded by the Byzantines. During the blockade, Svyatoslav's soldiers made sorties more than once, inflicting damage on the enemy.

July 21, it was decided to give the last battle. The next day, the Russians left the city, and Svyatoslav ordered the gates to be locked so that no one could think about fleeing. According to the chronicler, before the battle, Svyatoslav addressed the squad with the following words: "Let us not disgrace the Russian land, but let us lay down that bones: the dead will not have shame." The battle was started by Svyatoslav's warriors by attacking the enemy troops. By noon, the Byzantines began to gradually retreat. Tzimisces himself rushed to the aid of the retreating with a select detachment of cavalry. In order to make better use of their numerical superiority, Tzimisces lured the Ruses into the plain with a feigned retreat. At this time, another detachment of the Byzantines went behind their lines and cut them off from the city. Svyatoslav's team would have been destroyed if there had not been a second line of troops behind their battle formation - the "wall". Warriors of the second line turned to the Byzantines, who struck from the rear, and did not allow them to the "wall". The army of Svyatoslav had to fight surrounded, but thanks to the courage of the warriors, the encirclement ring was broken.

The next day, Svyatoslav invited Tzimisces to start negotiations. Svyatoslav undertook not to fight with Byzantium, and Tzimiskes had to freely let the boats of the Rus pass and give two measures of bread to each soldier on the road. After that, the army of Svyatoslav moved home. The insidious Byzantines warned the Pechenegs that the Rus were coming in a small squad and with booty. On the Dnieper rapids, Svyatoslav fell into an ambush organized by the Pecheneg Khan Kurei and was killed.

Ice Battle of 1242
In the early 40s of the XIII century. Swedish feudal lords, taking advantage of the weakening of Russia, decided to seize its northwestern lands, the cities of Pskov, Ladoga, Novgorod. In 1240, a 5,000-strong Swedish landing force on 100 ships entered the Neva and camped at the confluence of the Izhora River. Novgorod prince Alexander Yaroslavich, having gathered 1500 soldiers, delivered a sudden preemptive blow to the invading enemy and defeated him. For a brilliant victory, the Russian people called the 20-year-old commander Alexander Nevsky.

The German knights of the Livonian Order (an offshoot of the Teutonic Order in the Baltic states), taking advantage of the diversion of the Russian army to fight the Swedes, captured Izborsk and Pskov in 1240 and began to advance towards Novgorod. However, the troops under the command of Alexander Nevsky launched a counteroffensive and stormed the fortress of Koporye on the coast of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, and then liberated Pskov. In the spring of 1242, Russian troops (12 thousand people) reached Lake Peipus, which was covered with ice. Alexander Nevsky, taking into account the peculiarity of the tactics of the knights, who usually carried out a frontal attack with an armored wedge, called a “pig” in Russia, decided to weaken the center of the combat formation of the Russian army and strengthen the regiments of the right and left hands. The cavalry, divided into two detachments, he placed on the flanks behind the infantry. Behind the "brow" (regiment of the center of battle order) was the prince's squad. On April 5, 1242, the crusaders (12 thousand people) attacked the advanced Russian regiment, but got bogged down in a fight with the "chel". At this time, the regiments of the right and left hands covered the flanks of the "pig", and the cavalry hit the rear of the enemy, who was completely defeated. As a result of this victory, the knightly expansion to the east was stopped and the Russian lands were saved from enslavement.

Battle of Kulikovo 1380
In the second half of the XIV century. The Moscow principality began an open struggle to overthrow the yoke of the Golden Horde. This struggle was led by the Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich. In 1378, the Russian army under his command on the river. The leader was defeated by the strong Mongol-Tatar detachment of Murza Begich. In response to this, the ruler of the Golden Horde, Emir Mamai, in 1380 undertook a new campaign against Russia. The Russian army, headed by Dmitry Ivanovich, came out to meet the enemy, who decided to preempt the enemy and prevent him from joining the allied army of the Lithuanian prince Jagiello. Before the battle, Russian troops (50-70 thousand people) lined up on the Kulikovo field in battle formation, which had great depth. In front was a sentry regiment, behind it was the advanced one, in the center a large regiment and on the flanks of the regiment of the right and left hands. Behind the large regiment was a reserve (cavalry), and in the "Green Oakwood" behind the left flank of the main forces - an ambush regiment. The army of Mamai (over 90-100 thousand people) consisted of the vanguard (light cavalry), the main forces (in the center - infantry, and on the flanks - cavalry deployed in two lines) and a reserve. On September 8, at 11 o'clock, the guard regiment, in which Dmitry himself was located, dealt a strong blow, crushed the reconnaissance of the Mongol-Tatars and forced Mamai to start the battle even before the approach of the Lithuanian army. During a fierce battle, all attempts by the enemy to break through the center and the right wing of the Russian rati failed. However, the enemy cavalry managed to overcome the resistance of the left wing of the Russian army and reach the rear of its main forces. The outcome of the battle was decided by a sudden blow of the ambush regiment on the flank and rear of the Mongol-Tatar cavalry that had broken through. As a result, the enemy could not withstand the blow and began to retreat, and then fled. For the victory on the Kulikovo field, Prince Dmitry Ivanovich was nicknamed Donskoy. This victory marked the beginning of the deliverance of Russia from the Golden Horde yoke.

After 100 years, in October 1480, the Russian and Golden Horde troops met again, but now on the river. Ugra. All enemy attempts to cross to the opposite bank of the river were repulsed, and after a long confrontation, he began to retreat, not daring to go on the offensive. This event, which took place on November 12, 1480, marked the complete deliverance of Russia from the yoke of the Golden Horde.

Battle of the young in 1572
In 1572, the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray, taking advantage of the fact that the main forces of the Russian army were in Livonia, decided to make a lightning raid on Moscow. He gathered significant forces under his banners: strong cavalry detachments of the Nogais joined the 60,000-strong horde along the way. Numerous Khan's artillery was served by Turkish gunners. At the disposal of the governor M.I. Vorotynsky had no more than twenty thousand warriors. But the campaign of the Krymchaks did not come as a surprise to the Russian command. The stanitsa and guard service, created shortly before, warned of the approach of the enemy. In July, the Tatars approached Tula and, having crossed the Oka, moved to Moscow. The commander of the advanced regiment, Prince D.I. Khvorostinin in the battle at Senka's ford managed to delay the vanguard of the Tatar army, but when the main enemy forces crossed the Oka, the governor decided to withdraw the regiment.

Prince Vorotynsky, at the head of the Big Regiment in Kolomna, decided to delay the advance of the Tatar horde to the capital with flank attacks, and with the main forces to catch up with the enemy and impose a decisive battle on the outskirts of Moscow. While Vorotynsky with the main forces made a detour maneuver, the regiments of the governor Khvorostinin, Odoevsky and Sheremetev struck at the rear of the Tatar army. Odoevsky and Sheremetev on the Nara River inflicted significant damage on the Tatar cavalry, and on August 7 Khvorostinin defeated the rearguard of the Crimean army, which consisted of selected cavalry detachments. By this time, the voivode Vorotynsky managed to move the main forces from Kolomna and sheltered them in a mobile fortress (“walking city”) 45 km from Moscow “on Molodi”. When the Tatars approached there on August 10, they came under heavy artillery fire and suffered significant losses.

The decisive battle took place on 11 August. The Tatars stormed the mobile fortress, which Khvorostinin defended with small forces. Time after time, Tatar waves rolled on the walls of the "walk-city". Streltsy beat them at point-blank range with squeakers, cut the Tatars with sabers "children of the boyars." While the Krymchaks unsuccessfully attacked the hiding archers, Vorotynsky with the main forces along the bottom of the hollow quietly went to the rear of the Khan's army. At the agreed signal, Khvorostinin opened fire from all the squeakers and cannons, and then staged a sortie. At the same time, Vorotynsky struck from the rear. The Tatars could not stand the double blow. A panicked retreat began, an example of which Devlet Giray himself showed. The army abandoned by the khan was completely dispersed. The Russian cavalry rushed after the Tatars, completing a complete rout.

The victory of the Moscow regiments at Molodi eliminated the threat to the southern borders of Russia from the Crimea for a long time.

Heroic defense of Pskov August 1581 - January 1582
Under Tsar Ivan IV (1530-1584), the Russian state waged a fierce struggle: in the southeast - with the Kazan, Astrakhan and Crimean khanates, in the west - for access to the Baltic Sea. In 1552, the Russian army captured Kazan. In 1556-1557. The Astrakhan Khanate and the Nogai Horde recognized vassal dependence on the Russian state, and Chuvashia, Bashkiria and Kabarda voluntarily became part of it. With the security of the southeastern borders, it became possible to break the blockade in the west, where the Livonian Order stubbornly pushed Russia away from the countries of Western Europe. In January 1558, the Livonian War began, which lasted 25 years.

The troops of the Livonian Order could not resist for a long time, and in 1560 Livonia fell apart. On its territory, the Duchy of Courland and the Bishopric of Riga were formed, dependent on Poland and Sweden. In 1569, Poland and Lithuania formed a single state - the Commonwealth. These countries acted as a united front against Russia. The war took on a protracted character.

In 1570, Sweden began hostilities against the Russians in the Baltics. Nine years later, the army of the Polish king Stefan Batory captured Polotsk and Velikiye Luki. In August 1581, more than 50,000 troops (according to some sources, about 100,000 people) of Batory surrounded Pskov, which was defended by a garrison of 20,000. The defenders repelled all enemy attacks for four and a half months, withstanding more than 30 assaults. Having not achieved success near Pskov, Batory was forced on January 15, 1582 to conclude a truce with Russia for 10 years, and a year later a truce was signed between Russia and Sweden, which put an end to the Livonian War.

The liberation of Moscow from the Polish invaders in 1612
After the death of Ivan IV in 1584 and his son Fyodor in 1589, the Rurik dynasty was interrupted. This was taken advantage of by the boyars, who fought among themselves for power. In 1604, Polish troops invaded Russia, and in 1610, the Swedes.

On September 21, 1610, the Polish invaders, taking advantage of the betrayal of the boyars, captured Moscow. Residents of the capital and other cities of Russia rose to fight them. In the autumn of 1611, on the initiative of the township elder of Nizhny Novgorod, Kozma Minin, a militia (20 thousand people) was created. It was headed by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kozma Minin. At the end of August 1612, the militia blocked the 3,000-strong Polish garrison in Kitai-Gorod and the Kremlin, thwarted all attempts by the Polish army (12,000 people) of Hetman Jan Khodkiewicz to release the besieged, and then defeated him. After careful preparation, on October 22, the Russian militia stormed Kitay-gorod. On October 25, the Poles, who had settled in the Kremlin, released all the hostages, and the next day they capitulated.

With the expulsion of the interventionists from Russia, the restoration of its statehood began. Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was elected to the throne in 1613. But the struggle with the Poles was fought for more than one year, and only on December 1, 1618, a truce was signed between Russia and Poland.

Battle of Poltava 1709
During the reign of Peter I (1682-1725), Russia faced two difficult problems related to access to the Black and Baltic seas. However, the Azov campaigns of 1695-1696, which ended with the capture of Azov, did not completely resolve the issue of access to the Black Sea, since the Kerch Strait remained in the hands of Turkey.

The trip of Peter I to the countries of Western Europe convinced him that neither Austria nor Venice would become Russia's allies in the war with Turkey. But in the course of the "great embassy" (1697-1698), Peter I became convinced that a favorable situation had developed in Europe for solving the Baltic problem - getting rid of Sweden's rule in the Baltics. Russia was joined by Denmark and Saxony, whose elector August II was at the same time the Polish king.

The first years of the Northern War 1700-1721. for the Russian army were a serious test. The Swedish king Charles XII, having in his hands a first-class army and navy, led Denmark out of the war, defeated the Polish-Saxon and Russian armies. In the future, he planned to take over Smolensk and Moscow.

Peter I, foreseeing the offensive of the Swedes, took measures to strengthen the northwestern borders from Pskov to Smolensk. This forced Charles XII to abandon the attack on Moscow. He took his army to Ukraine, where, counting on the support of the traitor Hetman I.S. Mazepa, intended to replenish supplies, spend the winter, and then, joining the corps of General A. Levengaupt, move to the center of Russia. However, on September 28 (October 9), 1708, Lewenhaupt's troops were intercepted near the village of Lesnoy by a flying corps (corvolant) under the command of Peter I. In order to quickly defeat the enemy, about 5 thousand Russian infantrymen were put on horseback. They were assisted by about 7 thousand dragoons. The corps was opposed by Swedish troops numbering 13 thousand people, who guarded 3 thousand wagons with food and ammunition.

The Battle of Lesnaya ended with a brilliant victory for the Russian army. The enemy lost 8.5 thousand people killed and wounded. Russian troops captured almost the entire convoy and 17 guns, losing over 1000 people killed and 2856 people wounded. This victory testified to the increased combat strength of the Russian army and contributed to the strengthening of its morale. "Mother of the Poltava battle" Peter I later called the battle near Lesnaya. Charles XII lost much-needed reinforcements and convoys. In general, the battle of Lesnaya had a great influence on the course of the war. It prepared the conditions for a new, even more majestic victory for the Russian regular army near Poltava.

During the winter of 1708-1709. Russian troops, avoiding a general battle, exhausted the forces of the Swedish invaders in separate battles and clashes. In the spring of 1709, Charles XII decided to resume the attack on Moscow through Kharkov and Belgorod. In order to create favorable conditions for this operation, it was planned to first capture Poltava. The garrison of the city under the command of Colonel A.S. Kelin consisted of only 4 thousand soldiers and officers, who were supported by 2.5 thousand armed inhabitants. They heroically defended Poltava, having withstood 20 assaults. As a result, the Swedish army (35 thousand people) was detained under the walls of the city for two months, from April 30 (May 11) to June 27 (July 8), 1709. The staunch defense of the city made it possible for the Russian army to prepare for a general battle.

Peter I at the head of the Russian army (42 thousand people) was located 5 km from Poltava. In front of the position of the Russian troops stretched a wide plain, bounded by forests. To the left was a copse through which the only possible path for the advance of the Swedish army passed. Peter I ordered redoubts to be built along this path (six in a line and four perpendicular). They were quadrangular earthen fortifications with ditches and parapets, located one from the other at a distance of 300 steps. Each of the redoubts housed two battalions (over 1,200 soldiers and officers with six regimental guns). Behind the redoubts was the cavalry (17 dragoon regiments) under the command of A. D. Menshikov. The idea of ​​Peter I was to exhaust the Swedish troops on the redoubts and then deal them a crushing blow in a field battle. In Western Europe, Peter's tactical innovation was applied only in 1745.

The Swedish army (30 thousand people) was built by the front at a distance of 3 km from the Russian redoubts. Its battle order consisted of two lines: the first - infantry, built in 4 columns; the second is the cavalry, built in 6 columns.

In the early morning of June 27 (July 8), the Swedes went on the offensive. They managed to capture the two unfinished forward redoubts, but they could not take the rest. During the passage of the Swedish army through the redoubts, a group of 6 infantry battalions and 10 cavalry squadrons was cut off from the main forces and captured by the Russians. With heavy losses, the Swedish army managed to break through the redoubts and reach an open area. Peter I also withdrew troops from the camp (with the exception of 9 battalions of the reserve), which prepared for the decisive battle. At 9 o'clock in the morning, both armies converged and hand-to-hand combat began. The right wing of the Swedes began to crowd the center of the combat formation of the Russian troops. Then Peter I personally led the battalion of the Novgorod regiment into battle and closed the planned breakthrough. The Russian cavalry began to cover the flank of the Swedes, threatening their rear. The enemy trembled and began to retreat, and then turned to flight. By 11 o'clock the Battle of Poltava ended in a convincing victory for Russian weapons. The enemy lost 9234 soldiers and officers killed, more than 3 thousand prisoners. The losses of the Russian troops amounted to 1345 people killed and 3290 people wounded. The remnants of the Swedish troops (more than 15 thousand people) fled to the Dnieper and were captured by Menshikov's cavalry. Charles XII and Hetman Mazepa managed to cross the river and go to Turkey.

Most of the Swedish army was destroyed on the Poltava field. The power of Sweden was undermined. The victory of the Russian troops near Poltava predetermined the outcome of the Northern War, victorious for Russia. Sweden has not been able to recover from the defeat.

In the military history of Russia, the Battle of Poltava is rightfully on a par with the Battle of the Ice, the Battle of Kulikovo and Borodino.

Gangut battle of the northern war of 1714
After the victory at Poltava, the Russian army during the years 1710-1713. expelled the Swedish troops from the Baltic states. However, the Swedish fleet (25 warships and auxiliary vessels) continued to operate in the Baltic Sea. The Russian rowing fleet consisted of 99 galleys, semi-galleys and scampaways with a landing force of about 15 thousand people. Peter I planned to break through to the Abo-Aland skerries and land troops to reinforce the Russian garrison in Abo (100 km northwest of Cape Gangut). On July 27 (August 7), 1714, a naval battle began between the Russian and Swedish fleets near Cape Gangut. Peter I, skillfully using the advantage of rowing ships over the enemy's linear sailing ships in the conditions of a skerry area and calm, defeated the enemy. As a result, the Russian fleet received freedom of action in the Gulf of Finland and Bothnia, and the Russian army - the opportunity to transfer hostilities to the territory of Sweden.

The battle of the Russian rowing fleet at Gangut in 1714, the Ezel naval battle of 1719, the victory of the Russian rowing fleet at Grengam in 1720 finally broke the power of Sweden and at sea. On August 30 (September 10), 1721, a peace treaty was signed in Nystadt. As a result of the Treaty of Nishtadt, the shores of the Baltic Sea (Riga, Pernov, Revel, Narva, Ezel and Dago Islands, etc.) were returned to Russia. It became one of the largest European states and from 1721 officially became known as the Russian Empire.

Battle of Kunersdrof 1759
During the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. On August 19 (30), 1757, Russian troops defeated the Prussian army at Gross-Jegersdorf, on January 11 (22), 1758 they occupied Koenigsberg and on August 14 (25) of the same year defeated the troops of Frederick II at Zorndorf. In July 1759, the Russian army captured Frankfurt an der Oder, threatening Berlin. On August 1 (12), on the right bank of the Oder, 5 km from Frankfurt, near Kunersdorf, the largest battle of the Seven Years' War took place, in which 60 thousand people participated from the Russian and Austrian allies, and 48 thousand from Prussia. The allies under the command of General-in-Chief P.S. Saltykov repelled all the attacks of the Prussian troops, and then launched a counteroffensive, culminating in the defeat of the Prussian army. The victory at Kunersdorf was achieved due to the superiority of the tactics of the Russian troops over the stereotyped tactics of the Prussian army. The enemy lost about 19 thousand people, and the allies - 15 thousand.

Battle of Chem 1770
With the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. Empress Catherine II decided to lead her offensively. To implement the planned plan, three armies were deployed in the south of the country, and on July 18 (29) a squadron under the command of Mr. A. went from the Baltic to the Mediterranean Sea. Spiridova. The overall leadership of military operations in the Mediterranean was entrusted to Count A.G. Orlov.

June 24 (July 5), 1770, the Russian squadron, consisting of 9 battleships, 3 frigates, 1 bombardment ship and 17 auxiliary ships in the Chios Strait, entered into battle with the Turkish fleet, consisting of 16 battleships, 6 frigates and about 50 auxiliary ships , under the command of Admiral Hassan Bey. During the battle, the Turkish flagship "Real-Mustafa" was destroyed, but the Russian ship "Evstafiy" was also killed. The enemy fleet, deprived of control, retreated in disarray to the Chesme Bay, where it was blocked by the Russian squadron.

On the night of June 26 (July 7), a Russian avant-garde was sent to Chesme Bay to destroy it, consisting of 4 battleships, 2 frigates, 1 bombardment ship and 4 firewalls under the command of S.K. Greig. Entering the bay, the ships of the line anchored and opened fire on the Turkish fleet. Frigates led the fight against the coastal batteries of the Turks. Then 4 firewalls went on the attack, one of which, under the command of Lieutenant D.S. Ilyin, set fire to a Turkish ship, the fire from which spread to the entire Turkish fleet. As a result of the battle, the enemy fleet lost 15 battleships, 6 frigates and about 40 smaller ships. Turkish losses in personnel amounted to 11 thousand people.

The victory in the Battle of Chesma contributed to the successful conduct of hostilities in the main theater of war and laid the foundation for the permanent naval presence of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean.

Battle on the Cahul River 1770
During the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. one of its largest battles took place at the river. Cahul. On July 21 (August 1), 1770, the Turkish command concentrated 100 thousand cavalry and 50 thousand infantry near the river. The 80,000-strong cavalry of the Crimean Tatars entered the rear of the army of Field Marshal P. A. Rumyantsev (38 thousand people), moving towards Kahul. In order to cover his rear and convoy, Rumyantsev allocated more than 10 thousand soldiers against the Crimean cavalry, and with the rest of the forces (27 thousand people) he decided to attack the Turkish army. During a fierce battle, the 150,000th Turkish army was defeated. The losses of the enemy amounted to 20 thousand people, and the Russian army - 1.5 thousand. During the battle, Rumyantsev skillfully applied the battle formation from the square, which allowed him to maneuver on the battlefield and repel the attacks of the Turkish cavalry.

Battle on the river Rymnik 1789
The period of the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. marked by a number of battles on land and at sea. One of them was the battle on the river. Rymnik on September 11 (22), 1789 between the 100,000th Turkish army and the allied army (7,000 Russian and 18,000 Austrian detachments). Turkish troops occupied three fortified camps, located at a distance of 6-7 km from one another. A. V. Suvorov, who commanded the Russian detachment, decided to defeat the enemy in parts. To this end, he used battalion squares in two lines, behind which the cavalry advanced. During a stubborn battle that lasted 12 hours, the Turkish army was completely defeated. The Russians and Austrians lost 1,000 killed and wounded, while the Turks lost 10,000.

Battle of Tendra Island 1790
The naval battle near the island of Tendra took place during the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. between the Russian squadron (37 ships and auxiliary vessels) of Rear Admiral F.F. Ushakov and the Turkish squadron (45 ships and auxiliary vessels). On August 28 (September 8), 1790, the Russian squadron suddenly attacked the enemy on the move, without changing into battle formation. During a fierce battle that ended on August 29 (September 9), the Turkish squadron was defeated. As a result of this victory, the lasting dominance of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea was ensured.

Storming of Ishmael 1790
Of particular importance during the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. had the capture of Ishmael - the citadel of Turkish rule on the Danube.

Izmail, called by the Turks "Ordu-kalessi" ("army fortress"), was rebuilt by Western engineers in accordance with the requirements of modern fortification. From the south, the fortress was protected by the Danube. A ditch 12 m wide and up to 10 m deep was dug around the fortress walls. There were many stone buildings inside the city that were convenient for defense. The garrison of the fortress consisted of 35 thousand people with 265 guns.

Russian troops approached Izmail in November 1790 and began to besiege it. However, the autumn bad weather hampered the fighting. Diseases began among the soldiers. And then the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Field Marshal G. A. Potemkin, decided to entrust the capture of Izmail to A. V. Suvorov, who arrived in the troops on December 2 (13). Suvorov was subordinate to 31 thousand people and 500 guns.

Suvorov immediately began preparing for the assault. The troops were trained to overcome obstacles with the help of fascines and assault ladders. Much attention was paid to raising the morale of Russian soldiers. The idea of ​​assaulting Ishmael consisted in a sudden night attack of the fortress from three sides at once with the support of a river flotilla.

After completing the preparations for the assault, A. V. Suvorov sent a letter demanding surrender on December 7 (18) to the commandant of the fortress Aidos Mehmet Pasha. The envoy of the commandant transmitted the answer that "rather the Danube will stop in its course, the sky will fall to the ground, than Ishmael will surrender."

On December 10 (21), Russian artillery opened fire on the fortress and fired on it all day. On December 11 (22) at 3 o'clock in the morning, at the signal of a rocket, the columns of Russian troops began to advance to the walls of Izmail. At 5.30 the assault began. The Turks opened strong rifle and cannon fire, but he did not hold back the impulse of the attackers. After a ten-hour assault and street fighting, Ishmael was taken. During the capture of Izmail, Major General M.I. Kutuzov, who was appointed commandant of the fortress, distinguished himself.

Enemy losses amounted to 26 thousand killed and about 9 thousand captured. The Russian army lost 4,000 killed and 6,000 wounded.

Ishmael was taken by an army that was inferior in number to the garrison of the fortress - an extremely rare case in the history of military art. The advantage of an open assault on fortresses was also revealed in comparison with the then prevailing methods in the West of mastering them by means of a long siege. The new method made it possible to take fortresses in a shorter time and with small losses.

The thunder of cannons near Izmail heralded one of the most brilliant victories of Russian weapons. The legendary feat of Suvorov's miraculous heroes, who crushed the strongholds of an impregnable fortress, has become a symbol of Russian military glory. The assault on the Izmail fortress ended the military campaign of 1790. However, Turkey did not lay down its arms. And only the defeat of the Sultan's army near Machin in the Balkans, the capture of Anapa in the Caucasus, the victory of Rear Admiral F.F. Ushakov in the naval battle of Kaliak-riya forced the Ottoman Empire to enter into peace negotiations. On December 29, 1791 (January 9, 1792), the Treaty of Jassy was concluded. Turkey finally recognized Crimea as part of Russia.

Battle of Cape Kaliakria 1791
There was a Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. After the defeat at Izmail in December 1790, Turkey did not lay down its arms, pinning its last hopes on its fleet. July 29 (August 9) Admiral F.F. Ushakov led the Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol to the sea, consisting of 16 battleships, 2 frigates, 2 bombardment ships, 17 cruisers, 1 fireship and a rehearsal ship (998 guns in total) in order to search for and destroy the Turkish fleet. On July 31 (August 11), on the way to Cape Kaliakria, he discovered the anchored Turkish fleet of Kapudan Pasha Hussein, consisting of 18 battleships, 17 frigates and 43 smaller ships (1800 guns in total). The Russian flagship, having assessed the position of the enemy, decided to win the wind and cut off the Turkish ships from the coastal batteries covering it in order to give a general battle on the high seas under favorable conditions.

The rapid approach of the Russian fleet took the enemy by surprise. Despite the powerful fire from the coastal batteries, the Russian fleet, having rebuilt in the course of approaching the enemy in battle formation, passed between the coast and the Turkish ships, and then attacked the enemy from a short distance. The Turks desperately resisted, but could not withstand the fire of the Russian guns and, having chopped off the anchor ropes, began to randomly retreat to the Bosphorus. The entire Turkish fleet was scattered across the sea. Of its composition, 28 ships did not return to their ports, including 1 battleship, 4 frigates, 3 brigantines and 21 gunboats. All surviving battleships and frigates were seriously damaged. Most of the crews of the Turkish fleet were destroyed, while 17 people were killed on Russian ships and 28 people were wounded. The Black Sea Fleet had no losses in the ship composition.

Since the time of the Chesme fire (1770), the Turkish fleet has not known such a crushing defeat. As a result of the victory, the Russian fleet gained complete dominance in the Black Sea, and Russia finally established itself as an influential Black Sea power. The defeat of the Turkish fleet in the battle at Cape Kaliakria largely contributed to the final defeat of Turkey in the war with Russia. On January 9 (20), 1792, a peace treaty was signed in Iasi, according to which Russia secured the Crimea and the entire northern coast of the Black Sea.

Battle of Borodino 1812
During the Patriotic War of 1812, the commander-in-chief of the united Russian armies, M. I. Kutuzov, decided to stop the advance of Napoleon's army to Moscow near the village of Borodino. Russian troops went over to the defensive in a strip 8 km wide. The right flank of the position of the Russian troops adjoined the Moskva River and was protected by a natural barrier - the Koloch River. The center rested on the height of Kurgannaya, and the left flank rested against the Utitsky forest, but had an open space in front of it. To strengthen the position on the left flank, artificial earthen fortifications were built - flushes, which were occupied by the army of P.I. Bagration. Napoleon, who adhered to offensive tactics, decided to strike at the left flank of the combat formation of the Russian troops, break through the defenses and go to their rear, and then, pressing them to the Moscow River, destroy them. On August 26 (September 7), after a powerful artillery preparation, the French army (135,000 men) attacked the Bagration fleches. After eight attacks, by 12 noon they were captured by the enemy, but the retreating Russian troops (120 thousand people) did not allow him to break through on the left flank. The onslaught of the French in the center on the Kurgan Height (Raevsky's battery) ended just as inconclusively. Napoleon's attempt to bring into battle the guards - the last reserve, was thwarted by a raid by the Cossacks of M. I. Platov and the cavalry of F. P. Uvarov. By the end of the day, the Russian army continued to stand firmly on Borodino positions. Napoleon, convinced of the futility of the attacks and fearing the transition of the Russian troops to active operations, was forced to withdraw his troops to the starting line. During the battle, the French lost 58 thousand, and the Russians - 44 thousand people. On the Borodino field, the myth of the invincibility of the Napoleonic army was dispelled.

Navarino naval battle 1827
The battle in the Bay of Navarino (the southwestern coast of the Peloponnese) between the united squadrons of Russia, England and France, on the one hand, and the Turkish-Egyptian fleet, on the other, took place during the Greek national liberation revolution of 1821-1829.

The combined squadrons included: from Russia - 4 battleships, 4 frigates; from England - 3 battleships, 5 corvettes; from France - 3 battleships, 2 frigates, 2 corvettes. Commander - English Vice Admiral E. Codrington. The Turkish-Egyptian squadron under the command of Muharrem Bey consisted of 3 battleships, 23 frigates, 40 corvettes and brigs.

Before the start of the battle, Codrington sent a truce to the Turks, then a second. Both parliamentarians were killed. In response, the united squadrons attacked the enemy on October 8 (20), 1827. The battle of Navarino lasted about 4 hours and ended with the destruction of the Turkish-Egyptian fleet. His losses amounted to about 60 ships and up to 7 thousand people. The Allies did not lose a single ship, with only about 800 men killed and wounded.

During the battle, they distinguished themselves: the flagship of the Russian squadron "Azov" under the command of Captain 1st Rank MP Lazarev, which destroyed 5 enemy ships. Lieutenant P. S. Nakhimov, midshipman V. A. Kornilov and midshipman V. I. Istomin, the future heroes of the battle of Sinop and the defense of Sevastopol in the Crimean War of 1853-1856, skillfully operated on this ship.

Battle of Sinop 1853
At the beginning of the Crimean War of 1853-1856, actions at sea became decisive. The Turkish command planned to land a large landing in the area of ​​​​Sukhum-Kale and Poti. For these purposes, it concentrated large naval forces under the command of Osman Pasha in the Sinop Bay. To destroy it, a squadron of the Black Sea Fleet under the command of P.S. Nakhimov. On the approach to Sinop, Nakhimov discovered a Turkish squadron consisting of 7 large frigates, 3 corvettes, 2 steam-frigates, 2 brigs and 2 military transports, which was under the protection of coastal batteries. Nakhimov blocked the enemy in Sinop Bay and decided to attack him. At the disposal of Nakhimov were 6 battleships, 2 frigates and 1 brig.

The signal for battle was raised on Nakhimov's flagship at 09:30 on 18 (30) November. On the approach to the bay, the Russian squadron was met with fire from Turkish ships and coastal batteries. The Russian ships, without a single shot, continued to approach the enemy, and only when they arrived at the places designated by the disposition and anchored did they open fire. During the battle, which lasted 3 hours, 15 out of 16 enemy ships were set on fire, 4 out of 6 coastal batteries were blown up.

The battle of Sinop ended with the complete victory of Russian weapons. The Turks lost almost all of their ships and over 3,000 were killed. The wounded commander of the Turkish squadron, Vice Admiral Osman Pasha, the commanders of three ships and about 200 sailors surrendered. The Russian squadron had no losses in ships. The defeat of the Turkish squadron significantly weakened the Turkish naval forces and frustrated its plans to land troops on the coast of the Caucasus.

The battle of Sinop was the last major battle of the era of the sailing fleet.

Defense of Sevastopol 1854-1855
During the Crimean War, on October 5 (17), 1854, the 120,000-strong Anglo-French-Turkish army launched an assault on Sevastopol, which was defended by a garrison of 58 thousand people. For 11 months, Russian troops steadfastly held the city's defenses, despite the superiority of the enemy in forces and means. The organizers of the defense of Sevastopol were Vice Admiral V. A. Kornilov, and after his death - P. S. Nakhimov and V. I. Istomin. Attempts by the Russian field army to lift the siege of the city were not successful. On August 27 (September 8), 1855, its defenders left the South side and crossed over to the North side via a floating bridge.

Defense of Shipka 1877-1878
During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. a Russian-Bulgarian detachment under the command of N. G. Stoletov occupied the Shipka Pass in the Stara Planina Mountains (Bulgaria). For 5 months, from July 7 (19), 1877 to January 1878, Russian and Bulgarian soldiers repelled all attempts by Turkish troops to capture the pass, holding it until the Russian Danube army went on the general offensive.

Siege of Plevna in 1877
During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. the united Russian-Romanian troops, after the unsuccessful assaults on Plevna, went over to the siege, blocking the Turkish troops. On the night of November 27-28 (December 9-10), units of the Turkish garrison attempted to break through the blockade, but, having lost 6 thousand people killed and 43 thousand prisoners, capitulated. The losses of the Russian-Romanian troops amounted to 39 thousand people killed. In the battles near Plevna from July 8 (20) to November 28 (December 10), 1877, the tactics of rifle chains were developed, and the need to increase the role of howitzer artillery in preparing an attack was revealed.

Shutrm Karsa in 1877
One of the important achievements of Russian military art is the skillful assault on the Kare fortress during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. Before the start of the assault, artillery bombardment of the fortress, the garrison of which consisted of 25 thousand people, was carried out for 8 days (with interruptions). After that, on November 5 (17), 1877, a simultaneous attack began by five columns of a detachment (14.5 thousand people) under the command of General I. D. Lazarev. During a fierce battle, Russian troops broke the enemy's resistance and on November 6 (18) captured the fortress. More than 17 thousand Turkish soldiers and officers were taken prisoner.

Defense of Port Arthur in 1904
On the night of January 27 (February 9), 1904, Japanese destroyers suddenly attacked the Russian squadron stationed on the outer roadstead in Port Arthur, damaged 2 battleships and one cruiser. This act unleashed the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

At the end of July 1904, the siege of Port Arthur began (garrison - 50.5 thousand people, 646 guns). In the 3rd Japanese army, which stormed the fortress, there were 70 thousand people, about 70 guns. After three unsuccessful assaults, the enemy, having received replenishment, on November 13 (26) began a new assault. Despite the courage and heroism of the defenders of Port Arthur, the commandant of the fortress, General A. M. Stessel, contrary to the opinion of the military council, surrendered it on December 20, 1904 (January 2, 1905) to the enemy. In the struggle for Port Arthur, the Japanese lost 110 thousand people and 15 ships.

The cruiser "Varyag", which was part of the 1st Pacific Squadron, together with the gunboat "Koreets" during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. On January 27 (February 9), 1904, he entered into an unequal battle with the ships of the Japanese squadron, sank one destroyer and damaged 2 cruisers. "Varyag" was flooded by the team in order to avoid its capture by the enemy.

BATTLE OF MUKDEN 1904

The Battle of Mukden took place on February 6 (19)-February 25 (March 10), 1904 during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Three Russian armies (293,000 infantry and cavalry) took part in the battle against five Japanese armies (270,000 infantry and cavalry).

Despite the almost equal balance of forces, the Russian troops under the command of General A.N. Kuropatkin were defeated, but the goal of the Japanese command - to surround and destroy them was not achieved. The battle of Mukden, by design and scope (front - 155 km, depth - 80 km, duration - 19 days) is the first front-line defensive operation in Russian history.

Battles and operations of the First World War 1914-1918.
World War I 1914-1918 was caused by the aggravation of contradictions between the leading powers of the world in the struggle for the redistribution of spheres of influence and the investment of capital. 38 states with a population of over 1.5 billion people were involved in the war. The reason for the war was the assassination in Sarajevo of the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke Ferdinand. By August 4-6 (17-19), 1914, Germany fielded 8 armies (about 1.8 million people), France - 5 armies (about 1.3 million people), Russia - 6 armies (over 1 million people). people), Austria-Hungary - 5 armies and 2 army groups (over 1 million people). Military operations covered the territory of Europe, Asia and Africa. The main land fronts were the Western (French). Eastern (Russian), the main maritime theaters of military operations are the North, Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Seas. There were five campaigns during the course of the war. The most significant battles and operations involving Russian troops are listed below.

The Battle of Galicia - a strategic offensive operation of the troops of the Southwestern Front under the command of General N.I. Ivanov, was carried out on August 5 (18) - September 8 (21), 1914 against the Austro-Hungarian troops. The offensive zone of the Russian troops was 320-400 km. As a result of the operation, Russian troops occupied Galicia and the Austrian part of Poland, creating the threat of an invasion of Hungary and Silesia. This forced the German command to transfer part of the troops from the Western to the Eastern Theater of Operations (TVD).

Warsaw-Ivangorod offensive operation of 1914
The Warsaw-Ivangorod offensive operation was carried out by the forces of the North-Western and South-Western fronts against the 9th German and 1st Austro-Hungarian armies on September 15 (28) - October 26 (November 8), 1914. In the oncoming battles, the Russian troops stopped advancing the enemy, and then going on the counteroffensive, threw him back to his original positions. Large losses (up to 50%) of the Austro-German troops forced the German command to transfer part of the forces from the Western to the Eastern Front and weaken their blows against Russia's allies.

The Alashkert operation was carried out by Russian troops in the Caucasian theater of operations on June 26 (July 9) - July 21 (August 3), 1915. From July 9 to 21, the shock group of the 3rd Turkish Army pushed back the main forces of the 4th Corps of the Caucasian Army and created a threat of a breakthrough her defense. However, the Russian troops launched a counterattack on the left flank and rear of the enemy, who, fearing a detour, began to hastily retreat. As a result, the plan of the Turkish command to break through the defenses of the Caucasian army in the Kars direction was thwarted.

Erzurum operation 1915-1916
The Erzurum operation was carried out by the forces of the Russian Caucasian army under the command of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, December 28, 1915 (January 10, 1916) - February 3 (16), 1916. The purpose of the operation is to capture the city and fortress of Erzurum, defeat the 3rd Turkish army before the arrival of reinforcements. The Caucasian army broke through the heavily fortified defenses of the Turkish troops, and then, with attacks on the directions converging from the north, east and south, captured Erzerum by storm, throwing the enemy 70-100 km to the west. Success in the operation was achieved thanks to the correct choice of the direction of the main attack, careful preparation of the offensive, and extensive maneuvering of forces and means.

Brusilovsky breakthrough 1916
In March 1916, at the conference of the Entente powers in Chantilly, the actions of the Allied forces in the upcoming summer campaign were agreed. In accordance with this, the Russian command planned to launch in mid-June 1916 a major offensive on all fronts. The main blow was to be delivered by the troops of the Western Front from the Molodechno region to Vilna, and the auxiliary blows were to be delivered by the Northern Front from the Dvinsk region and the South-Western Front from the Rovno region to Lutsk. When discussing the campaign plan, differences emerged among the top military leadership. Commander of the Western Front, General of Infantry A.E. Evert expressed his fear that the troops of the front would not be able to break through the well-prepared enemy defenses in terms of engineering. The recently appointed commander of the Southwestern Front, cavalry general A.A. Brusilov, on the contrary, insisted on intensifying the actions of his front, not only could, but must attack.

At the disposal of A.A. Brusilov were 4 armies: the 7th - General D.G. Shcherbachev, 8th - General A.M. Kaledin, 9th - General P.A. Lechitsky and 11th - General V.V. Sakharov. The troops of the front numbered 573,000 infantry, 60,000 cavalry, 1,770 light and 168 heavy guns. They were opposed by the Austro-German grouping consisting of: 1st (commander - General P. Puhallo), 2nd (commander General E. Bem-Ermoli), 4th (commander - Archduke Joseph Ferdinand), 7th ( commander - General K. Pflanzer-Baltina) and the South German (commander - Count F. Botmer) army, totaling 448 thousand infantry and 27 thousand cavalry, 1300 light and 545 heavy guns. The defense up to 9 km deep consisted of two, and in some places three defensive lines, each of which had two or three lines of continuous trenches.

In May, the allies, in connection with the difficult situation of their troops in the Italian theater of operations, turned to Russia with a request to speed up the start of the offensive. The headquarters decided to meet them halfway and act 2 weeks ahead of schedule.

The offensive began on the entire front on May 22 (June 4) with a powerful artillery shelling that continued in different sectors from 6 to 46 hours. The 8th Army, advancing in the Lutsk direction, achieved the greatest success. Already after 3 days, her corps took Lutsk, and by June 2 (15) they defeated the 4th Austro-Hungarian army. On the left wing of the front in the zone of action of the 7th Army, the Russian troops, breaking through the enemy defenses, captured the city of Yazlovets. The 9th Army broke through the front on an 11-kilometer section in the Dobronouts region and defeated the 7th Austro-Hungarian Army, and then cleared the whole of Bukovina.

The successful actions of the Southwestern Front were supposed to support the troops of the Western Front, but General Evert, referring to the incompleteness of the concentration, ordered the offensive to be postponed. This blunder of the Russian command was instantly used by the Germans. 4 infantry divisions from France and Italy were transferred to the Kovel area, where units of the 8th Army were to advance. On June 3 (16), the German army groups of generals von Marwitz and E. Falkenhayn launched a counterattack in the direction of Lutsk. In the Kiselin area, a fierce defensive battle began with the German group of General A. Linzingen.

From 12 (25) June, a forced lull came on the Southwestern Front. The offensive resumed on June 20 (July 3). After a powerful shelling, the 8th and 3rd armies broke through the enemy defenses. The 11th and 7th, advancing in the center, did not achieve much success. Parts of the 9th Army captured the city of Delyatyn.

When, at last, the Headquarters realized that the success of the campaign was decided on the Southwestern Front, and transferred reserves there, time had already been lost. The enemy has concentrated large forces there. The special army (commander - General V.M. Bezobrazov), which consisted of selected guards units and which Nicholas II really counted on for help, in fact turned out to be ineffective due to the low combat skills of senior officers. The fighting took on a protracted character, and by mid-September the front finally stabilized.

The offensive operation of the troops of the Southwestern Front was completed. It lasted over a hundred days. Despite the fact that the initial success was not used by the Headquarters to achieve a decisive result on the entire front, the operation was of great strategic importance. The Austro-Hungarian army in Galicia and Bukovina suffered a complete defeat. Its total losses amounted to about 1.5 million people. The Russian troops took only 8,924 officers and 408,000 soldiers as prisoners. 581 guns, 1795 machine guns, about 450 bombers and mortars were captured. The losses of Russian troops amounted to about 500 thousand people. To eliminate the breakthrough; the enemy was forced to transfer 34 infantry and cavalry divisions to the Russian front. This eased the position of the French near Verdun and the Italians in Trentino. The English historian L. Garth wrote: "Russia sacrificed herself for the sake of her allies, and it is unfair to forget that the allies are indebted to Russia for this." The immediate result of the actions of the Southwestern Front was the refusal of Romania from neutrality and its accession to the Entente.

Military operations between the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars
Soviet-Japanese military conflict in the area of ​​Lake Khasan in 1938
In the second half of the 1930s the situation in the Far East sharply aggravated, where cases of violation of the state border of the USSR by the Japanese, who occupied the territory of Manchuria, became more frequent. The Main Military Council of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), given the growing tension in the Far East, on June 8, 1938, adopted a resolution on the creation on the basis of the Separate Red Banner Far Eastern Army (OK-DVA) of the Red Banner Far Eastern Front under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union V. K Blucher.

In early July, the command of the Posyet border detachment, having received information about the impending capture by the Japanese of the Zaozernaya height (the Manchu name is Zhangofyn), sent a reserve outpost there. The Japanese side regarded this step as provocative, believing that Zhangofyn was located on the territory of Manchuria. By decision of the Japanese government, the 19th Infantry Division was transferred to the area of ​​​​Lake Khasan, and two more infantry divisions, one infantry and one cavalry brigades, were preparing to relocate. On July 15, 5 Japanese violated the border on the site of Lake Khasan, and when they tried to detain them, one person was killed by Soviet border guards. This incident led to an escalation in late July - early August of hostilities between Soviet and Japanese troops in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya heights.

To defeat the enemy, the commander of the troops of the Red Banner Far Eastern Front formed the "39th Rifle Corps (about 23 thousand people), which included the 40th and 32nd Rifle Divisions, the 2nd mechanized brigade and reinforcement units.

On August 6, 1938, after aviation and artillery preparation, units of the 39th Rifle Corps went on the offensive in order to defeat the Japanese troops in the zone between the Tumen-Ula River and Lake Khasan. Overcoming fierce enemy resistance, the 40th Infantry Division, in cooperation with the 96th Infantry Regiment of the 32nd Infantry Division, captured the Zaozernaya height on August 8, and the main forces of the 32nd Infantry Division stormed the Bezymyannaya height the next day. In this regard, on August 10, the Japanese government proposed that the USSR government begin negotiations, and on August 11, hostilities between the Soviet and Japanese waxes were stopped.

The loss of Japanese troops, according to Japanese sources, amounted to about 500 people. killed and 900 people. wounded. Soviet troops lost 717 people killed and 2,752 people wounded, shell-shocked and burned.

Battle near the Khalkhin Gol River 1939
In January 1936, in the face of an increased threat of an attack on the Mongolian People's Republic (MPR) by Japan, the government of Mongolia turned to the government of the USSR with a request for military assistance. On March 12, the Soviet-Mongolian Protocol on Mutual Assistance for a period of 10 years was signed in Ulaanbaatar, which replaced the 1934 agreement. the base of which the 1st Army Group was subsequently deployed.

The situation on the eastern border of the MPR began to escalate after an unexpected attack on May 11, 1939 by the Japanese-Manchurian troops on the border outposts of the eastern Khalkhin-Gol River. By the end of June 1939, the Japanese Kwantung Army had 38,000 soldiers and officers, 310 guns, 135 tanks, and 225 aircraft. The Soviet-Mongolian troops, commanded on June 12, 1939 by the division commander (from July 31 - commander) K. Zhukov, numbered 12.5 thousand soldiers and commanders, 109 guns, 266 armored vehicles, 186 tanks, 82 aircraft.

The enemy, using numerical superiority, went on the offensive on July 2 with the aim of encircling and destroying the Soviet-Mongolian units and capturing an operational base on the western bank of Khalkhin Gol for launching subsequent offensive operations in the direction of Soviet Transbaikalia. However, during three days of bloody fighting, all Japanese troops that managed to cross the river were destroyed or driven back to its eastern bank. Subsequent attacks by the Japanese throughout most of July did not bring them success, as they were everywhere repulsed.

In early August, the 6th Japanese Army was created under the command of General O. Rippo. It consisted of 49.6 thousand soldiers and officers, 186 artillery and 110 anti-tank guns, 130 tanks, 448 aircraft.

The Soviet-Mongolian troops, reduced in July to the 1st Army Group under the command of commander K. Zhukov, numbered 55.3 thousand soldiers and commanders. They consisted of 292 heavy and light artillery, 180 anti-tank guns, 438 tanks, 385 armored vehicles and 515 aircraft. For ease of control, three groups of troops were created: Northern, Southern and Central. Preempting the enemy, after powerful air strikes and almost three hours of artillery preparation, the Northern and Southern groups went on the offensive on August 20. As a result of the decisive actions of these groups, four Japanese regiments were encircled on the enemy's flanks on August 23. By the end of August 31, the grouping of Japanese troops was completely defeated. Fighting in the air continued until September 15, and on September 16, at the request of Japan, the signing of the Soviet-Japanese agreement on the cessation of hostilities took place.

During the fighting at Khalkhin Gol, the Japanese lost 18.3 thousand people killed, 3.5 thousand wounded and 464 prisoners. Soviet troops suffered the following losses: 6,831 people were killed, 1,143 people were missing, 15,251 people were wounded, shell-shocked and burned.

Soviet-Finnish war 1939-1940
By the end of the 1930s, relations between the Soviet Union and Finland escalated, which was afraid of great-power aspirations from the USSR, and the latter, in turn, did not rule out its rapprochement with the Western powers and the use of Finnish territory by them to attack the USSR. Tension in relations between the two countries was also caused by the construction by the Finns on the Karelian Isthmus of powerful defensive fortifications, the so-called Mannerheim Line. All attempts by diplomatic means to normalize Soviet-Finnish relations were unsuccessful. The government of the USSR, guaranteeing the inviolability of Finland, demanded that it cede part of the territory on the Karelian Isthmus, offering in return an equivalent territory within the Soviet Union. However, this demand was rejected by the Finnish government. On November 28, 1939, the Soviet government severed diplomatic relations with Finland. The troops of the Leningrad Military District were given the task of "crossing the border and defeating the Finnish troops."

By the end of November 1939, the armed forces of Finland, together with a trained reserve, numbered up to 600 thousand people, about 900 guns of various calibers, 270 combat aircraft. 29 ships. Almost half of the ground forces (7 infantry divisions, 4 separate infantry and 1 cavalry brigades, several separate infantry battalions), united in the Karelian army, were concentrated on the Karelian Isthmus. Special groups of troops were created in the Murmansk, Kandalaksha, Ukhta, Rebolsk and Petrozavodsk directions.

On the Soviet side, the border from the Barents Sea to the Gulf of Finland was covered by four armies: in the Arctic - by the 14th Army, which was supported by the Northern Fleet; in northern and central Karelia - the 9th Army; north of Lake Ladoga - 8th Army; on the Karelian Isthmus - the 7th Army, for the support of which the Red Banner Baltic Fleet and the Ladoga military flotilla were allocated. In total, the grouping of Soviet troops consisted of 422.6 thousand people, about 2,500 guns and mortars, up to 2,000 tanks, 1,863 combat aircraft, more than 200 warships and ships.

The combat operations of the Soviet troops in the war with Finland are divided into two stages: the first lasted from November 30, 1939 to February 10, 1940, the second - from February 11 to March 13, 1940.

At the first stage, the troops of the 14th Army, in cooperation with the Northern Fleet, in December captured the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas, the city of Petsamo and closed Finland's access to the Barents Sea. At the same time, the troops of the 9th Army, advancing to the south, wedged into the depths of the enemy defenses for 35-45 km. Parts of the 8th Army fought forward up to 80 km, but some of them were surrounded and forced to retreat.

The heaviest and most bloody battles unfolded on the Karelian Isthmus, where the 7th Army was advancing. By December 12, army troops, with the support of aviation and navy, overcame the supply zone (prefield) and reached the front edge of the main zone of the Mannerheim Line, but could not break through it on the move. Therefore, the Main Military Council at the end of December 1939 decided to suspend the offensive and plan a new operation to break through the Mannerheim Line. On January 7, 1940, the North-Western Front was recreated, disbanded in early December 1939. The front included the 7th Army and the 13th Army, created at the end of December. For two months, Soviet troops were trained at special training grounds to overcome long-term fortifications. At the beginning of 1940, part of the forces was detached from the 8th Army, on the basis of which the 15th Army was formed.

On February 11, 1940, after artillery preparation, the troops of the North-Western Front under the command of the commander of the 1st rank S.K. Timoshenko went on the offensive. On February 14, units of the 123rd Rifle Division of the 7th Army crossed the main strip of the Mannerheim Line and the 84th Rifle Division from the front reserve and a mobile group (two tank and a rifle battalion) were introduced into the gap.

On February 19, the main forces of the 7th Army reached the second lane, and the left-flank formations of the 13th Army to the main lane of the Mannerheim Line. After the regrouping and the approach of artillery and rear services, the Soviet troops resumed the offensive on February 28. After heavy and lengthy battles, they defeated the main forces of the Karelian army and by the end of March 12 captured Vyborg. On the same day, a peace treaty between the USSR and Finland was signed in Moscow, and from 12 o'clock the next day hostilities were stopped. According to the agreement, the border on the Karelian Isthmus was moved back 120-130 km (beyond the Vyborg-Sortavala line). The USSR also received a small territory north of Kuolajärvi, several islands in the Gulf of Finland, the Finnish part of the Sredny and Rybachy peninsulas in the Barents Sea, and the Hanko Peninsula was granted for a period of 30 years with the right to create a naval base on it.

The Soviet Union's war with Finland cost both countries dearly. According to Finnish sources, Finland lost 48,243 killed and 43,000 wounded. The losses of the Soviet troops amounted to: 126,875 people were killed, missing, died of wounds and diseases, as well as 248 thousand wounded, shell-shocked and frostbite.

Such heavy losses of the Soviet troops were due not only to the fact that they had to break through heavily fortified defenses and operate in difficult climatic conditions, but also to shortcomings in the preparation of the Red Army. Soviet troops were not prepared to overcome dense minefields, to take decisive action when breaking through a complex system of long-term fortifications on the Karelian Isthmus. There were serious shortcomings in command and control, in organizing operational and tactical cooperation, in providing personnel with winter uniforms and food, and in providing medical care.

The enemy turned out to be better prepared for war, although he also suffered significant losses in people. The Finnish army, its equipment, weapons and tactics were well adapted to the conduct of combat operations on the ground with numerous lakes and large forests, in conditions of severe snowy winters, using natural obstacles.

The most important battles and operations of the Second World War 1939-1945.
The largest war in the history of mankind was prepared and unleashed by the main aggressive states of that period: Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and militaristic Japan. The war is usually divided into five periods. The first period (September 1, 1939 - June 21, 1941): the beginning of the war and the invasion of German troops into the countries of Western Europe. The second period (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 the Hitlerite blitzkrieg doctrine. The third period (November 19, 1942 - December 31, 1943): a turning point in the course of the war, the collapse of the offensive strategy of the fascist bloc. The fourth period (January 1, 1944 - May 9, 1945): the defeat of the fascist bloc, the expulsion of enemy troops from the USSR, the liberation from the occupation of European countries, the complete collapse of Nazi Germany and its unconditional surrender. Fifth period (May 9-September 2, 1945): the defeat of militaristic Japan, the liberation of the peoples of Asia from Japanese occupation, the end of World War II.

The USSR took part in the Second World War in the European Theater of Operations during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, and in the Asian and Pacific Theater of Operations during the Soviet-Japanese War of 1945.

On the basis of the Barbarossa plan developed by the Hitlerite leadership, fascist Germany, violating the Soviet-German non-aggression pact, at dawn on June 22, 1941, suddenly, without declaring war, attacked the Soviet Union.

Battle of Moscow 1941-1942
The battle consisted of two stages. The first stage - the Moscow strategic defensive operation September 30 - December 5, 1941. The operation was carried out by the troops of the Western, Reserve, Bryansk and Kalinin fronts. During the fighting, the Soviet troops were additionally introduced: the directorates of the Kalinin Front, the 1st shock, 5th, 10th and 16th armies, as well as 34 divisions and 40 brigades.

During the operation, the Oryol-Bryansk, Vyazemskaya, Kalininskaya, Mozhaisk-Maloyaroslavetskaya, Tula and Klinsko-Solnechnogorsk front-line defensive operations were carried out. The duration of the operation is 67 days. The width of the combat front is 700-1,110 km. The depth of the withdrawal of Soviet troops is 250-300 km. Starting on September 30, the operation marked the beginning of the battle near Moscow, which became the main event of 1941 not only on the Soviet-German front, but throughout the entire Second World War.

In the course of fierce battles on the far and near approaches to Moscow, by December 5, Soviet troops stopped the advance of the German Army Group Center literally at the walls of the capital. The highest self-sacrifice, the mass heroism of the soldiers of various branches of the Red Army, the courage and steadfastness of Muscovites, fighters of extermination battalions, militia formations