A significant component of the Great Patriotic War played a noticeable and decisive role in the outbreak of one of the bloodiest international conflicts of the 20th century.
Periodization of the Second World War
The five-year confrontation that took place on the territory of the republics that were part of the Soviet Union is divided by historians into three periods.
- Period I (06/22/1941—11/18/1942) includes the transition of the USSR to a war footing, the failure of Hitler’s original “blitzkrieg” plan, as well as the creation of conditions for turning the tide of hostilities in favor of the Coalition countries.
- Period II (11/19/1942 - end of 1943) is associated with military conflict.
- Period III (January 1944 - May 9, 1945) - a crushing defeat of the Nazi troops, their expulsion from Soviet territories, the liberation of the countries of Southeast and of Eastern Europe The Red Army.
How it all began
The largest battles of the Great Patriotic War have been described briefly and in detail more than once. They will be discussed in this article.
Germany's unexpected and rapid attack on Poland, and then on other European countries, led to the fact that by 1941 the Nazis, together with their allies, captured vast territories. Poland was defeated, and Norway, Denmark, Holland, Luxembourg and Belgium were occupied. France was able to resist for only 40 days, after which it was also captured. The Nazis inflicted a major defeat and the expeditionary force then entered the territory of the Balkans. The main obstacle on Germany's path was the Red Army, and the largest battles of the Great Patriotic War proved that the power and unbroken spirit of the Soviet people who defended the freedom of their Motherland is one of the decisive factors in the successful fight against the enemy.
"Plan Barbarossa"
In the plans of the German command, the USSR was just a pawn that was easily and quickly eliminated from the path, thanks to the so-called lightning war, the principles of which were set out in the “Barbarossa Plan”.
Its development was carried out under the leadership of the general. According to this plan, Soviet troops were to be defeated in a short time by Germany and its allies, and the European part of the territory of the Soviet Union was to be captured. Further, the complete defeat and destruction of the USSR was assumed.
Presented in historical order, they clearly indicate which side had the advantage at the beginning of the confrontation and how it all ended in the end.
The ambitious plan of the Germans assumed that within five months they would be able to capture key cities of the USSR and reach the Arkhangelsk-Volga-Astrakhan line. The war against the USSR was supposed to end by the fall of 1941. Adolf Hitler was counting on this. By his order to east direction impressive forces of Germany and allied countries were concentrated. What major battles of the Great Patriotic War did they have to endure in order to finally become convinced of the impossibility of establishing world domination in Germany?
It was assumed that the blow would be delivered in three directions in order to quickly defeat the enemy who stood on the path to world domination:
- Central (Minsk-Moscow line);
- Yuzhny (Ukraine and the Black Sea coast);
- Northwestern (Baltic countries and Leningrad).
The largest battles of the Great Patriotic War: the struggle for the capital
The operation to capture Moscow was codenamed “Typhoon”. It began in September 1941.
The implementation of the plan to capture the capital of the USSR was entrusted to Army Group Center, headed by Field Marshal General. The enemy outnumbered the Red Army not only in the number of soldiers (1.2 times), but also in weapons (more than 2 times) . And yet, the major battles of the Great Patriotic War soon proved that more does not mean stronger.
The fight against the Germans in this direction was carried out by troops of the South-Western, North-Western, Western and Reserve Fronts. In addition, partisans and militias took an active part in hostilities.
Beginning of the confrontation
In October, the main line of Soviet defense was broken in the central direction: the Nazis captured Vyazma and Bryansk. The second line, passing near Mozhaisk, managed to briefly delay the offensive. In October 1941, Georgy Zhukov became the head of the Western Front, who declared a state of siege in Moscow.
By the end of October, fighting took place literally 100 kilometers from the capital.
However, numerous military operations and major battles of the Great Patriotic War, carried out during the defense of the city, did not allow the Germans to capture Moscow.
Turning point during the battle
Already in November 1941, the last attempts of the Nazis to conquer Moscow were prevented. The Soviet Army had the advantage, thereby providing it with the opportunity to launch a counteroffensive.
The German command attributed the reasons for the failure to bad autumn weather and muddy roads. The largest battles of the Great Patriotic War shook the Germans' confidence in their own invincibility. Enraged by the failure, the Fuhrer gave the order to capture the capital before the winter cold, and on November 15 the Nazis again tried to go on the offensive. Despite huge losses, German troops managed to break through to the city.
However, their further advance was prevented, and the last attempts of the Nazis to break through to Moscow ended in failure.
The end of 1941 was marked by the Red Army's offensive against enemy troops. At the beginning of January 1942, it covered the entire front line. The occupying troops were thrown back 200-250 kilometers. As a result of a successful operation, Soviet soldiers liberated the Ryazan, Tula, Moscow regions, as well as some areas of the Oryol, Smolensk, Kalinin regions. During the confrontation, Germany lost a large amount of equipment, including about 2,500 firearms and 1,300 tanks.
The largest battles of the Great Patriotic War, in particular the Battle of Moscow, proved that victory over the enemy is possible, despite his military-technical superiority.
One of the most important battles of the Soviet war against the countries of the Triple Alliance, the Battle of Moscow, was a brilliant embodiment of the plan to disrupt the blitzkrieg. Soviet soldiers resorted to whatever methods they could to prevent the enemy from capturing the capital.
So, during the confrontation, Red Army soldiers launched huge, 35-meter balloons into the sky. The purpose of such actions was to reduce the targeting accuracy of German bombers. These colossuses rose to a height of 3-4 kilometers and, while there, significantly hampered the work of enemy aviation.
More than seven million people took part in the battle for the capital. Therefore, it is considered one of the largest.
A significant role in the battle for Moscow was played by Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, who led the 16th Army. In the fall of 1941, his troops blocked the Volokolamsk and Leningrad highways, preventing the enemy from breaking through to the city. The defense in this area lasted two weeks: the locks of the Istrinsky reservoir were blown up, and the approaches to the capital were mined.
Another interesting fact in the history of the legendary battle: in mid-October 1941, the Moscow metro was closed. This was the only day in the history of the capital's metro when it did not work. The panic caused by this event entailed the so-called exodus of residents - the city was empty, looters began to operate. The situation was saved by the order to take decisive measures against fugitives and looters, according to which even the execution of violators was allowed. This fact stopped the mass flight of people from Moscow and stopped the panic.
Battle of Stalingrad
The largest battles of the Great Patriotic War took place on the approaches to key cities of the country. One of the most important confrontations was the Battle of Stalingrad, which spanned the period from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943.
The Germans' goal in this direction was to break through to the south of the USSR, where numerous enterprises in the metallurgical and defense industries were located, as well as the main food reserves.
Formation of the Stalingrad Front
During the offensive of the fascist troops and their allies, Soviet troops experienced significant damage in the battles for Kharkov; the Southwestern Front was defeated; The divisions and regiments of the Red Army were scattered, and the lack of fortified positions and open steppes gave the Germans the opportunity to enter the Caucasus almost unhindered.
This seemingly hopeless situation in the USSR instilled in Hitler confidence in imminent success. By his order, the army “South” was divided into 2 parts - the goal of part “A” was to capture the North Caucasus, and part “B” was to capture Stalingrad, where the Volga, the main waterway of the country, flowed.
In a short period of time, Rostov-on-Don was captured, and the Germans moved to Stalingrad. Due to the fact that 2 armies were moving in this direction at once, a huge traffic jam formed. As a result of this, one of the armies was ordered to return to the Caucasus. This hitch delayed the offensive for a whole week.
In July 1942, a united Stalingrad front was formed, the purpose of which was to protect the city from the enemy and organize defense. The whole difficulty of the task was that the newly formed units did not yet have experience in interaction, there was not enough ammunition, and there were no defensive structures.
The Soviet troops outnumbered the Germans in numbers, but were inferior to them by almost half in equipment and weapons, which were sorely lacking.
The desperate struggle of the Red Army delayed the enemy's entry into Stalingrad, but in September the fighting moved from the outlying territories to the city. At the end of August, the Germans destroyed Stalingrad, first by bombing it and then dropping high explosive and incendiary bombs on it.
Operation Ring
City residents fought for every meter of land. The result of the months-long confrontation was a turning point in the battle: in January 1943, Operation Ring began, which lasted 23 days.
Its result was the defeat of the enemy, the destruction of his armies and the surrender of the surviving troops on February 2. This success was a real breakthrough in the course of military operations, shook Germany's position and questioned its influence on other states. He gave to the Soviet people hope for future victory.
Battle of Kursk
The defeat of the troops of Germany and its allies at Stalingrad became the impetus for Hitler, in order to avoid centrifugal tendencies within the alliance of the countries of the Tripartite Pact, to decide to carry out a major operation to attack the Red Army, codenamed “Citadel”. The battle began on July 5 of the same year. The Germans launched new tanks, which did not frighten the Soviet troops, who offered effective resistance to them. By July 7, both armies had lost a huge number of people and equipment, and the tank battle at Ponyri led to the loss of a large number of vehicles and people by the Germans. This turned out to be a significant factor in weakening the Nazis in the northern part of the Kursk salient.
Record tank battle
On July 8, the largest tank battle of the Great Patriotic War began near Prokhorovka. About 1,200 combat vehicles took part in it. The confrontation lasted several days. The climax came on July 12, when two tank battles took place simultaneously near Prokhorovka, ending in a draw. Despite the fact that neither side gained the decisive initiative, the German offensive was stopped, and on July 17 the defensive phase of the battle turned into an offensive phase. Its result was that the Nazis were thrown back to the south of the Kursk Bulge, to their original positions. In August, Belgorod and Orel were liberated.
What major battle ended the Great Patriotic War? This battle was the confrontation on the Kursk Bulge, the decisive chord of which was the liberation of Kharkov on August 23, 1944. It was this event that ended a series of major battles on the territory of the USSR and marked the beginning of the liberation of Europe by Soviet soldiers.
Major battles of the Great Patriotic War: table
For a better understanding of the course of the war, especially with regard to its most significant battles, there is a table reflecting the periodicity of what was happening.
Battle for Moscow | 30.09.1941-20.04.1942 |
Leningrad blockade | 08.09.1941-27.01.1944 |
Battle of Rzhev | 08.01.1942-31.03.1943 |
Battle of Stalingrad | 17.07.1942-02.02.1943 |
Battle for the Caucasus | 25.07.1942-09.10.1943 |
Battle for Kursk | 05.07.1943-23.08.1943 |
The major battles of the Great Patriotic War, the names of which are known today to people of any age, became indisputable evidence of the strength of spirit and will of the Soviet people, who did not allow the establishment of fascist power not only on the territory of the USSR, but throughout the world.
Battle of Moscow 1941– 1942 The battle has two main stages: 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 enemy forces advancing on Moscow.
By the beginning of the German offensive on Moscow, Army Group Center (Field Marshal F. Bock) had 74.5 divisions (approximately 38% infantry and 64% 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. Soviet troops in the Western direction, consisting of three fronts, had 1,250 thousand people, 990 tanks, 7,600 guns and mortars and 677 aircraft.
At the first stage, 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 Kalinin (from October 17 - I.S. Konev) fronts stopped the advance of the troops of Army Group Center (implementation of the German Operation Typhoon) at the line 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 dry. On December 5-6, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive, and on January 7-10, 1942, they launched a general offensive along the entire front. In January-April 1942, troops of the Western, Kalinin, Bryansk (from December 18 - Colonel General Ya.T. Cherevichenko) and Northwestern (Tenant 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. Enemy losses during the period January 1 – March 30, 1942 alone amounted to 333 thousand people.
The Moscow battle had great value: the myth of the invincibility of the German army was dispelled, the plan for a lightning war 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 with the aim of defending Stalingrad and defeating a large enemy strategic group operating in the Stalingrad direction.
In defensive battles in the Stalingrad area and in the city itself, 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 (from September 28 - Lieutenant General K.K. Rokossovsky) managed to stop the offensive of the 6th Army of 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 group of German troops and forces of countries allied to Germany (in particular, the 8th Italian, 3rd and 4th Romanian armies) had been sent to help the troops of Field Marshal F. Paulus. The total number of enemy troops at the beginning of the Soviet counteroffensive was 1,011.5 thousand people, 10,290 guns and mortars, 675 tanks and assault guns, 1,216 combat aircraft.
On November 19-20, troops of the Southwestern Front (Lieutenant General N.F. Vatutin), 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 liberate the encircled group in December, Soviet troops liquidated it. January 31 – February 2, 1943, the remnants of the enemy’s 6th Army, 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 offensive by German troops and defeat the enemy’s strategic grouping. After the defeat of its troops at Stalingrad, the German command 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 individual units of Army Group Center (Field Marshal G. Kluge) and Army Group South (Field Marshal E .Manstein). This accounted for 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 groups. The ground forces were supported by aviation from the 4th and 6th Air Fleets. In total, the enemy strike forces numbered over 900 thousand people, about 10 thousand guns and mortars, up to 2,700 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 entrusted the task of repelling the enemy offensive to the troops of the Central Front (from Orel) and the Voronezh Front (from Belgorod). After solving the defense problems, it was planned to defeat the enemy’s Oryol grouping (Kutuzov plan) by troops of the right wing of the Central Front (Army General 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 (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 Southwestern front (Army General R.Ya. Malinovsky). The general coordination of the actions of all these forces was entrusted to the representatives of the Marshal Headquarters G.K. Zhukov and A.M. Vasilevsky.
By the beginning of July, the Central and Voronezh Fronts had 1,336 thousand people, over 19 thousand guns and mortars, 3,444 tanks and self-propelled guns (including 900 light tanks) and 2,172 aircraft. In the rear of the Kursk salient, the Steppe Military District was deployed (from July 9 - the front), which was the strategic reserve of Headquarters.
The enemy offensive was to begin at 3 a.m. on July 5. However, just before it began, Soviet troops carried out artillery counter-preparation and inflicted heavy damage on the enemy in places where they were concentrated. The German offensive began only 2.5 hours later and was not of the originally intended nature. The measures taken managed to restrain the enemy’s advance (in 7 days he managed to advance only 10-12 km in the direction of the Central Front). The most powerful enemy group was operating in the direction of the Voronezh Front. Here the enemy advanced up to 35 km deep into the defense of the Soviet troops. On July 12, a turning point occurred in the battle. On this day, in the Prokhorovka area, the largest oncoming tank battle in history took place, in which 1,200 tanks and self-propelled guns took part on both sides. The enemy lost here on this day alone up to 400 tanks and self-propelled guns and 10 thousand people. killed, On July 12, a new stage began in the Battle of Kursk, during which the counteroffensive of Soviet troops developed as part of the Oryol operation and the Belgorod-Kharkov operation, which ended with 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 result of the battle was the transition of German troops in all theaters of military 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, the radical change begun by the Battle of Stalingrad was completed.
Belarusian operation (June 23– August 29, 1944). Code name: Operation Bagration. One of the largest strategic offensive operations undertaken by the Soviet high command with the aim of defeating the Nazi Army Group Center and liberating Belarus. The total number of enemy troops was 63 divisions and 3 brigades numbering 1.2 million people, 9.5 thousand guns, 900 tanks and 1350 aircraft. The enemy group was commanded by Field Marshal General E. Bush, and from June 28 by Field Marshal General V. Model. It was opposed by Soviet troops of four fronts (1st Baltic, 3rd Belorussian, 2nd Belorussian and 1st Belorussian) under the command, respectively, of Army General I.Kh. Bagramyan, Army General I.D. Chernyakhovsky, Army General G. F. Zakharov and Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky. The 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). Total number Soviet troops reached 2.4 million people, armed with about 36 thousand guns, 5.2 thousand tanks, 5.3 thousand combat aircraft.
Based on the nature of the combat operations and the achievement of the assigned objectives, the operation is divided into two stages. At the first (June 23 – July 4), the Vitebsk-Orsha, Mogilev, Bobruisk and Polotsk operations were carried out and the encirclement of the enemy’s Minsk group was completed. The second stage (July 5 – August 29) involved the destruction of the encircled enemy and the entry of Soviet troops to new frontiers 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 strength. The total enemy losses amounted to about 500 thousand killed, wounded and prisoners. 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 outskirts of Warsaw. In general, on a front length of 1100 km, our troops advanced 550-600 km, completely cutting off the enemy’s Northern group in the Baltic states. 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 Soviet troops from April 16 to May 8, 1945. The goal 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 defensive positions. 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 there were reserve units consisting of 8 divisions, as well as the Berlin garrison of 200 thousand people.
To carry out the operation, troops of three fronts were involved: 2nd Belorussian (Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky), 1st Belorussian (Marshal G.K. Zhukov), 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: Stage 1 - breaking through the Oder-Neissen line of enemy defense (April 16 - 19); Stage 2 – encirclement and dismemberment of enemy troops (April 19 – 25); Stage 3 – destruction of the surrounded groups and 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. awarded the 2nd Gold Star medal.
War is the worst thing that can happen in our lives. This must not be forgotten.
Especially about these five battles. The amount of blood in them is amazing...1. Battle of Stalingrad, 1942-1943
Opponents: Nazi Germany vs. USSR
Losses: Germany 841,000; Soviet Union 1,130,000
Total: 1,971,000
Result: Victory of the USSR
The German offensive began with a devastating series of Luftwaffe raids that left much of Stalingrad in ruins. But the bombing did not completely destroy the urban landscape. As they advanced, the German army became embroiled in brutal street fighting with Soviet forces. Although the Germans took control of more than 90% of the city, Wehrmacht forces were unable to dislodge the remaining stubborn Soviet soldiers.
Cold weather set in, and in November 1942 the Red Army launched a double attack on the German 6th Army in Stalingrad. The flanks collapsed, and the 6th Army was surrounded both by the Red Army and by the harsh Russian winter. Hunger, cold and sporadic attacks by Soviet troops began to take their toll. But Hitler did not allow the 6th Army to retreat. By February 1943, after a failed German breakout when food supply lines were cut, the 6th Army was defeated.
2. Battle of Leipzig, 1813
Opponents: France vs. Russia, Austria and Prussia
Casualties: 30,000 French, 54,000 Allied
Total: 84000
Result: Victory of the Coalition forces
The Battle of Leipzig was the largest and most severe defeat suffered by Napoleon, and the largest battle in Europe before the outbreak of the First World War. Faced with attacks from all sides, the French army performed surprisingly well, keeping their attackers at bay for over nine hours before they began to be outnumbered.
Realizing his inevitable defeat, Napoleon began to withdraw his troops in an orderly manner across the only remaining bridge. The bridge was blown up too early. More than 20,000 French soldiers were thrown into the water and drowned while trying to cross the river. The defeat opened the door to France for Allied forces.
3. Battle of Borodino, 1812
Opponents: Russia vs France
Losses: Russians – 30,000 - 58,000; French – 40,000 - 58,000
Total: 70,000
Result: Different interpretations of the results
Borodino is considered the bloodiest one-day battle in history. Napoleon's army invaded without declaring war Russian Empire. The rapid advance of the powerful French army forced the Russian command to retreat deeper into the country. Commander-in-Chief M.I. Kutuzov decided to give a general battle not far from Moscow, near the village of Borodino.
During this battle, every hour on the battlefield, about 6 thousand people were killed or injured, according to the most conservative estimates. During the battle, the Russian army lost about 30% of its strength, the French - about 25%. IN absolute numbers this is about 60 thousand killed on both sides. But, according to some sources, up to 100 thousand people were killed during the battle and died later from injuries. Not a single one-day battle that took place before Borodino was so bloody.
Opponents: Britain vs Germany
Losses: Britain 60,000, Germany 8,000
Total: 68,000
Result: Inconclusive
The British Army suffered the bloodiest day in its history in the opening stages of a battle that would last for months. More than a million people were killed as a result of the hostilities, and the original military tactical situation remained largely unchanged. The plan was to wear down the German defenses with artillery bombardment to such an extent that the attacking British and French forces could simply move in and occupy the opposing trenches. But the shelling did not bring the expected destructive consequences.
As soon as the soldiers left the trenches, the Germans opened fire with machine guns. Poorly coordinated artillery often covered its own advancing infantry with fire or was often left without cover. As darkness fell, despite the massive loss of life, only a few targets were occupied. Attacks continued in this manner until October 1916.
5. Battle of Cannae, 216 BC
Opponents: Rome vs Carthage
Losses: 10,000 Carthaginians, 50,000 Romans
Total: 60,000
Result: Carthaginian victory
The Carthaginian general Hannibal led his army through the Alps and defeated two Roman armies at Trebia and Lake Trasimene, seeking to engage the Romans in a final decisive battle. The Romans massed their heavy infantry in the center, hoping to break through the middle of the Carthaginian army. Hannibal, in anticipation of a central Roman attack, deployed his best troops on the flanks of his army.
As the center of the Carthaginian forces collapsed, the Carthaginian sides closed in on the Roman flanks. The mass of legionnaires in the back ranks forced the first ranks to move forward uncontrollably, not knowing that they were driving themselves into a trap. Eventually, the Carthaginian cavalry arrived and closed the gap, thus completely encircling the Roman army. In close combat, the legionnaires, unable to escape, were forced to fight to the death. As a result of the battle, 50 thousand Roman citizens and two consuls were killed.
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This reference and information collection "Frontiers of the military glory of the Fatherland: 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 to combine the 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 determines 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 Education”. vocational education", "On military duty and military service", "About veterans", "About the days military glory(victorious days) of Russia", "On perpetuating the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945". The Law of the Russian Federation "On perpetuating the memory of those killed in defense of the Fatherland", as well as Resolution 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 N 24 "On the Concept national security 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 been prepared. In the book in short form reference material on the most significant battles and battles in the military history of Russia is presented, military reforms and some prominent domestic military reformers are assessed. The work reflects the biographical data of prominent commanders, naval commanders and military leaders of Russia, and 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, 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 19th century. It was customary to call a battle a decisive clash of the main forces of the warring parties, which unfolded in a limited space and had the character of a mass bloody and relatively fleeting hand-to-hand combat in order to defeat the enemy.
In the wars of the 20th century. a battle is a series of simultaneous and sequential 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 coordinated and interconnected in terms of purpose, objectives, place and time, carried out simultaneously and sequentially according to a single concept and plan to solve problems in a theater of military operations or a strategic direction.
The battle is integral part operations 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 of the X - early XX centuries. Battle of Dorostol 971
The Kiev prince Svyatoslav in 969 undertook a campaign to Bulgaria. The military successes of the Rus near Philippopolis and Adrianople and the likelihood of creating a strong Russian-Bulgarian state alarmed Byzantium. The commander Tzimiskes with 30 thousand infantry and 15 thousand cavalry opposed Svyatoslav, who had an army of 30 thousand.
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, which began with an ambush attack by a small Russian detachment on the Byzantine vanguard. Svyatoslav's troops stood in the usual battle formation, shields closed and spears extended. Emperor Tzimisces lined up horsemen in iron armor on the flanks of the infantry, and behind were riflemen and slingers who constantly showered the enemy with stones and arrows. Two days later, the Byzantine fleet approached Dorostol, and Tzimiskes launched an assault on the city walls, but it failed. By the end of the day on April 25, the city was completely surrounded by the Byzantines. During the blockade, Svyatoslav’s warriors made forays more than once, inflicting damage on the enemy.
On July 21, it was decided to give the last battle. The next day the Rus left the city, and Svyatoslav ordered the gates to be locked so that no one could think about escaping. According to the chronicler, before the battle, Svyatoslav addressed the squad with the following words: “Let us not disgrace the Russian lands, but let us lie down with their bones: the dead have no shame.” The battle began with Svyatoslav's warriors attacking the enemy army. By noon, the Byzantines began to gradually retreat. Tzimiskes himself rushed to the aid of the retreating troops with a select detachment of cavalry. To make better use of his numerical superiority, Tzimiskes lured the Rus to the plain with a false retreat. At this time, another detachment of Byzantines came to their rear and cut them off from the city. Svyatoslav's squad would have been destroyed if there had not been a second line of troops behind their battle formation - the "wall" -. The soldiers of the second line turned to the Byzantines, who struck from the rear, and did not allow them to approach the “wall.” Svyatoslav’s army had to fight surrounded, but thanks to the courage of the warriors, the encirclement ring was broken.
The next day, Svyatoslav invited Tzimiskes to begin negotiations. Svyatoslav undertook not to fight with Byzantium, and Tzimiskes had to let the Rus' boats through without hindrance and give two measures of bread to each warrior for the road. After this, Svyatoslav’s army moved home. The treacherous Byzantines warned the Pechenegs that the Rus were coming in a small force and with booty. On the Dnieper rapids, Svyatoslav was ambushed by the Pecheneg Khan Kurei and was killed.
Battle of the Ice 1242
In the early 40s of the 13th century. Swedish feudal lords, taking advantage of the weakening of Rus', 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 set up camp at the confluence of the Izhora River. The Novgorod prince Alexander Yaroslavich, having gathered 1,500 soldiers, launched a sudden pre-emptive strike against the invading enemy and defeated him. For the brilliant victory, the Russian people named the 20-year-old commander Alexander Nevsky.
German knights Livonian Order(a branch of the Teutonic Order in the Baltic states), taking advantage of the distraction of the Russian army to fight the Swedes, captured Izborsk, Pskov in 1240 and began to advance towards Novgorod. However, troops under the command of Alexander Nevsky launched a counteroffensive and stormed the Koporye fortress on the coast of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, and then liberated Pskov. In the spring of 1242, Russian troops (12 thousand people) reached Lake Peipus, bound by 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 Rus', decided to weaken the center of the combat formation of the Russian army and strengthen the regiments of the right and left hands. He placed the cavalry, divided into two detachments, on the flanks behind the infantry. Behind the “chelo” (the regiment of the center of the battle formation) 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 battle with the “brow”. At this time, the regiments of the right and left hands covered the flanks of the “pig”, and the cavalry struck 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 14th century. Muscovy began an open struggle to overthrow the yoke of the Golden Horde. This fight was led by Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich. In 1378 Russian army under his command on the river. The leader was defeated by a strong Mongol-Tatar detachment of Murza Begich. In response to this, the ruler of the Golden Horde, Emir Mamai, launched a new campaign against Rus' in 1380. The Russian army, led by Dmitry Ivanovich, came out to meet the enemy, who decided to forestall the enemy and not give him the opportunity to unite with the allied army of the Lithuanian prince Jagiello. Before the battle, Russian troops (50-70 thousand people) lined up on the Kulikovo field in a battle formation that had great depth. In front was a guard regiment, behind it was an advanced regiment, in the center was a large regiment and on the flanks were regiments of the right and left hands. Behind the large regiment there was a reserve (cavalry), and in “Green Dubrava” behind the left flank of the main forces there was an ambush regiment. Mamai's army (over 90-100 thousand people) consisted of a vanguard (light cavalry), main forces (infantry in the center, and cavalry deployed in two lines on the flanks) and reserve. On September 8, at 11 o'clock, the guard regiment, in which Dmitry himself was located, dealt a strong blow, crushed the Mongol-Tatar reconnaissance and forced Mamai to begin the battle even before the approach of the Lithuanian army. During the fierce battle, all enemy attempts to break through the center and right wing of the Russian army 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 attack by an 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 liberation of Rus' from the Golden Horde yoke.
100 years later, in October 1480, the Russian and Golden Horde troops met again, but now on the river. Ugra. All attempts by the enemy 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 liberation of Rus' from the yoke of the Golden Horde.
Battle of Molodi 1572
In 1572 Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey, 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 banner: strong cavalry detachments of 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 there were no more than twenty thousand warriors. But the campaign of the Krymchaks did not come as a surprise to the Russian command. The village 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 towards Moscow. The commander of the advanced regiment, Prince D.I. Khvorostinin, in the battle at Senka Ford, managed to delay the vanguard of the Tatar army, but when the main forces of the enemy crossed the Oka River, the governor decided to withdraw the regiment.
Prince Vorotynsky, standing at the head of the Big Regiment in Kolomna, decided to delay the advance with flank attacks Tatar horde to the capital, and with the main forces to catch up with the enemy and force a decisive battle on him on the outskirts of Moscow. While Vorotynsky and his main forces were making a roundabout maneuver, the regiments of governors 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 Khvorostinina defeated the rearguard of the Crimean army, which consisted of selected cavalry detachments. By this time, Voivode Vorotynsky had managed to move the main forces from Kolomna and hid them in a mobile fortress ("walk-city") 45 km from Moscow "on Molodi". When the Tatars arrived there on August 10, they came under heavy artillery fire and suffered significant losses.
The decisive battle took place on August 11. The Tatars launched an assault on the mobile fortress, which was defended by Khvorostinin with small forces. Time after time, Tatar waves rolled onto the walls of the “walk-city”. The archers beat them at point-blank range with arquebuses, and cut down the Tatars with sabers, “children of the boyars.” While the Krymchaks unsuccessfully attacked the hiding archers, Vorotynsky with his main forces quietly reached the rear of the Khan’s army along the bottom of the ravine. At the agreed signal, Khvorostinin opened fire from all arquebuses and cannons, and then launched a sortie. At the same time, Vorotynsky struck from the rear. The Tatars could not withstand the double blow. A panicked retreat began, an example of which was shown by Devlet-Girey himself. The army abandoned by the khan completely scattered. The Russian cavalry rushed after the Tatars, completing a complete rout.
The victory of the Moscow regiments at Molodi permanently eliminated the threat to the southern borders of Rus' from the Crimea.
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 Kazan, Astrakhan and Crimean khanates, in the west - beyond 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 secured, it became possible to break the blockade in the west, where the Livonian Order was persistently pushing Russia away from the countries of Western Europe. In January 1558 it began Livonian War, which lasted 25 years.
The troops of the Livonian Order could not resist for long, and in 1560 Livonia fell apart. On its territory the Duchy of Courland and the Bishopric of Riga, dependent on Poland and Sweden, were formed. In 1569, Poland and Lithuania formed a single state - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These countries presented a united front against Russia. The war became protracted.
In 1570, Sweden began military operations against the Russians in the Baltic states. 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 20,000-strong garrison. The defenders repelled all enemy attacks for four and a half months, withstanding more than 30 assaults. Having failed to achieve 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, putting an end to the Livonian War.
Liberation of Moscow from Polish invaders in 1612
After the death of Ivan IV in 1584 and his son Fyodor in 1589, the Rurik dynasty was interrupted. The boyars took advantage of this and fought among themselves for power. In 1604, Polish troops invaded Russian territory, and in 1610, the Swedes.
On September 21, 1610, Polish invaders, taking advantage of the betrayal of the boyars, captured Moscow. Residents of the capital and other Russian cities rose up to fight them. In the fall of 1611, on the initiative of the townsman 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 Kitay-Gorod and the Kremlin, thwarted all attempts of the Polish army (12,000 people) of Hetman Jan Chodkiewicz to release the besieged, and then defeated it. After careful preparation, the Russian militia took Kitay-Gorod by storm on October 22. On October 25, the Poles holed up 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 continued for many years, 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 seas - the Black and Baltic. 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.
Peter I's trip to the countries of Western Europe convinced him that neither Austria nor Venice would become Russia's allies in the war with Turkey. But during 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 Swedish rule in the Baltic states. Denmark and Saxony, whose elector Augustus II was also the Polish king, joined Russia.
The first years of the Northern War 1700-1721. turned out to be a serious test for the Russian army. The Swedish king Charles XII, having a first-class army and navy in his hands, brought Denmark out of the war and defeated the Polish-Saxon and Russian armies. In the future, he planned to capture Smolensk and Moscow.
Peter I, anticipating the advance of the Swedes, took measures to strengthen the northwestern borders from Pskov to Smolensk. This forced Charles XII to abandon his 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, Levengaupt’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 mounted on horses. They were assisted by about 7 thousand dragoons. The corps was opposed by Swedish troops numbering 13 thousand people, who guarded 3 thousand carts with food and ammunition.
The Battle of Lesnaya ended in 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 1,000 people killed and 2,856 people wounded. This victory testified to the increased fighting strength of the Russian army and contributed to the strengthening of its morale. Peter I later called the battle at Lesnaya “the Mother of the Poltava Battle.” Charles XII lost much-needed reinforcements and convoys. Overall, the Battle of Lesnaya had a great influence on the course of the war. It prepared the conditions for a new, even more magnificent victory of 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 carrying out this operation, it was planned to first capture Poltava. The city garrison under the command of Colonel A.S. Kelina consisted of only 4 thousand soldiers and officers, who were supported by 2.5 thousand armed residents. They heroically defended Poltava, withstanding 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 persistent 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, bordered by forests. On the left there was a copse through which the only possible path for the Swedish army to advance passed. Peter I ordered the construction of redoubts along this route (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 there was cavalry (17 dragoon regiments) under the command of A.D. Menshikov. Peter I's plan was to exhaust the Swedish troops at 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 in front at a distance of 3 km from the Russian redoubts. Its battle formation consisted of two lines: the first - infantry, built in 4 columns; the second is cavalry, built in 6 columns.
Early in the morning of June 27 (July 8), the Swedes went on the offensive. They managed to capture two unfinished forward redoubts, but were unable to 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 the open. Peter I also withdrew his troops from the camp (with the exception of 9 reserve battalions), who 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 press the center of the combat formation of the Russian troops. Then Peter I personally led a battalion of the Novgorod regiment into battle and closed the emerging breakthrough. The Russian cavalry began to cover the Swedes' flank, threatening their rear. The enemy wavered and began to retreat, and then fled. By 11 o'clock the Battle of Poltava ended in a convincing victory for Russian weapons. The enemy lost 9,234 soldiers and officers killed and over 3 thousand captured. The losses of Russian troops amounted to 1,345 people killed and 3,290 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 leave for Turkey.
Most of the Swedish army was destroyed on the Poltava field. The power of Sweden was undermined. The victory of Russian troops near Poltava predetermined the victorious outcome of the Northern War for Russia. Sweden was no longer able to recover from the defeat.
In the military history of Russia, the Battle of Poltava rightfully ranks with Battle on the ice, Battle of Kulikovo and Borodino.
Battle of Gangut in the Northern War of 1714
After the victory at Poltava, the Russian army during 1710-1713. expelled 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, half-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 strengthen the Russian garrison in Abo (100 km northwest of Cape Gangut). On July 27 (August 7), 1714, a naval battle between the Russian and Swedish fleets began at Cape Gangut. Peter I, skillfully using the advantage of rowing ships over line ships sailing ships the enemy in the conditions of a skerry area and no wind, defeated the enemy. As a result, the Russian fleet received freedom of action in the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia, and the Russian army received the opportunity to transfer hostilities to Swedish territory.
The battle of the Russian rowing fleet at Gangut in 1714, the Ezel naval battle in 1719, and the victory of the Russian rowing fleet at Grengam in 1720 finally broke the power of Sweden at sea. On August 30 (September 10), 1721, a peace treaty was signed in Nystadt. As a result of the Peace of Nystadt, 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 in 1721 officially became known as the Russian Empire.
Battle of Kunersdrof 1759
During Seven Years' War 1756-1763 On August 19 (30), 1757, Russian troops defeated the Prussian army at Gross-Jägersdorf, occupied Königsberg on January 11 (22), 1758, 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, posing a threat to 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 took part from the Russian and allied Austrian army, and 48 thousand people from Prussia. The allies under the command of Chief General P.S. Saltykov repelled all attacks of the Prussian troops, and then launched a counteroffensive, which ended in the defeat of the Prussian army. The victory at Kunersdorf was achieved thanks to the superiority of the tactics of the Russian troops over the standard 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 it 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 G.A. set off from the Baltic to the Mediterranean Sea. Spiridova. The general leadership of military operations in the Mediterranean Sea was entrusted to Count A.G. Orlova.
On June 24 (July 5), 1770, a Russian squadron consisting of 9 battleships, 3 frigates, 1 bombardier 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 Hasan Bey. During the battle, the Turkish flagship Real Mustafa was destroyed, but the Russian ship Eustathius was also killed. Deprived of control, the enemy fleet retreated in disarray into Chesme Bay, where it was blocked by a Russian squadron.
On the night of June 26 (July 7), the Russian vanguard consisting of 4 battleships, 2 frigates, 1 bombardment ship and 4 fire ships under the command of S.K. was sent to Chesme Bay to destroy it. Greig. Entering the bay, the battleships anchored and opened fire on the Turkish fleet. The frigates fought with the Turkish coastal batteries. Then 4 fire ships 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 personnel losses amounted to 11 thousand people.
The victory in the Battle of Chesme contributed to the successful conduct of hostilities in the main theater of war and marked the beginning of the permanent naval presence of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean Sea.
Battle of the Cahul River 1770
During the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. one of its largest battles took place near 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 Cahul. In order to cover his rear and convoy, Rumyantsev allocated over 10 thousand soldiers against the Crimean cavalry, and with the rest of his forces (27 thousand people) he decided to attack the Turkish army. During a fierce battle, the 150,000-strong Turkish army was defeated. The enemy's losses amounted to 20 thousand people, and the Russian army - 1.5 thousand. During the battle, Rumyantsev skillfully used a square battle formation, which allowed him to maneuver on the battlefield and repel attacks of the Turkish cavalry.
Battle of the Rymnik River 1789
The period of the Russian-Turkish war 1787-1791. marked by a number of battles on land and sea. One of them was the battle on the river. Rymnik September 11 (22), 1789 between the 100,000-strong Turkish army and the allied army (7,000-strong Russian and 18,000-strong 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 piecemeal. For this purpose, 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 thousand people killed and wounded, and the Turks - 10 thousand.
Battle of Tendra Island 1790
The naval battle off Tendra Island 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.
Storm of Ishmael 1790
Of particular importance during the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. had the capture of Izmail, the citadel of Turkish rule on the Danube.
Izmail, called "Ordu-kalessi" ("army fortress") by the Turks, 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. Inside the city there were many stone buildings convenient for defense. The fortress garrison numbered 35 thousand people with 265 guns.
Russian troops approached Izmail in November 1790 and began its siege. However, bad autumn weather made combat operations difficult. Sickness began among the soldiers. And then the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Field Marshal General A. Potemkin, decided to entrust the capture of Izmail to A. V. Suvorov, who arrived in the army on December 2 (13). Suvorov had 31 thousand people and 500 guns under his command.
Suvorov immediately began preparing for the assault. The troops were trained to overcome obstacles using fascines and assault ladders. Much attention was paid to raising the morale of Russian soldiers. The plan for the assault on Izmail was a sudden night attack of the fortress from three sides at once with the support of a river flotilla.
After completing preparations for the assault, A.V. Suvorov sent a letter to the commandant of the fortress Aidos Mehmet Pasha on December 7 (18) demanding surrender. The commandant's envoy conveyed the answer that “it would be more likely that the Danube would stop in its flow, the sky would fall to the ground, than Ishmael would surrender.”
On December 10 (21), Russian artillery opened fire on the fortress and continued it all day. On December 11 (22), at 3 o'clock in the morning, at a signal from a rocket, 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 it did not hold back the rush 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 up to 26 thousand killed and about 9 thousand captured. The Russian army lost 4 thousand killed and 6 thousand wounded.
Izmail 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 compared to the then dominant methods in the West of mastering them through a long siege was also revealed. The new method made it possible to take fortresses in more short time and with small losses.
The thunder of the cannons near Izmail announced one of the most brilliant victories of Russian weapons. The legendary feat of Suvorov's miracle heroes, who crushed the strongholds of the impregnable fortress, became a symbol of Russian military glory. The assault on the Izmail fortress ended the military campaign of 1790. However, Türkiye 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, and the victory of Rear Admiral F.F. Ushakov in the naval battle of Kaliak-ria forced the Ottoman Empire to enter into peace negotiations. On December 29, 1791 (January 9, 1792), the Treaty of Jassy was concluded. Türkiye finally recognized Crimea as part of Russia.
Battle of Cape Kaliakra 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 out to sea from Sevastopol, consisting of 16 battleships, 2 frigates, 2 bombardment ships, 17 cruising ships, 1 fire ship and a rehearsal ship (998 guns in total) for the purpose of search and destruction Turkish fleet. On July 31 (August 11), on the approach to Cape Kaliakria, he discovered the Turkish fleet of Kapudan Pasha Hussein at anchor, consisting of 18 battleships, 17 frigates and 43 smaller ships (1,800 guns in total). The Russian flagship, having assessed the enemy's position, 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 in 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 reformed into a battle formation as it approached the enemy, passed between the shore and the Turkish ships, and then attacked the enemy from a short distance. The Turks desperately resisted, but could not withstand the fire of Russian cannons and, cutting off the anchor ropes, began to retreat randomly 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 Russian ships 17 people were killed and 28 injured. The Black Sea Fleet had no losses in its ship composition.
Since 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 of 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 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 towards Moscow near the village of Borodino. Russian troops went on the defensive in a strip 8 km wide. The right flank of the position of the Russian troops adjoined the Moscow River and was protected by a natural barrier - the Koloch River. The center rested on the Kurgannaya height, and the left flank abutted the Utitsky forest, but had open space in front of it. To strengthen the position on the left flank, artificial earthen fortifications were built - flashes, 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 reach their rear, and then, pressing them to the Moscow River, destroy them. On August 26 (September 7), after powerful artillery preparation, the French army (135 thousand people) attacked Bagration’s flushes. After eight attacks, by 12 noon they were captured by the enemy, but the retreating Russian troops (120 thousand people) prevented his breakthrough on the left flank. The French onslaught in the center on Kurgan Heights (Raevsky's battery) ended just as fruitlessly. Napoleon's attempt to introduce the guard, the last reserve, into the battle 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 in the Borodino positions. Napoleon, convinced of the futility of the attacks and fearing that the Russian troops would take active action, 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 Napoleonic army was dispelled.
Navarino naval battle 1827
The battle in Navarino Bay (the southwestern coast of the Peloponnese Peninsula) 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 united 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 an envoy to the Turks, then a second one. Both envoys 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 or wounded.
During the battle, the following distinguished themselves: the flagship of the Russian squadron "Azov" under the command of Captain 1st Rank M.P. Lazarev, which destroyed 5 enemy ships. Lieutenant P. S. Nakhimov, midshipman V. A. Kornilov and midshipman V. I. Istomin - future heroes of the Battle of Sinop and the defense of Sevastopol in the Crimean War of 1853-1856 - skillfully acted on this ship.
Battle of Sinop 1853
At first Crimean War 1853-1856, actions at sea acquired a decisive character. The Turkish command planned to land a large assault force in the area of Sukhum-Kale and Poti. For these purposes, it concentrated large naval forces under the command of Osman Pasha. To destroy it, a squadron of the Black Sea Fleet under the command of P.S. left Sevastopol. 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 were under the protection of coastal batteries. Nakhimov blocked the enemy in Sinop Bay and decided to attack him. Nakhimov had 6 battleships, 2 frigates and 1 brig at his disposal.
The signal for battle was raised on Nakhimov’s flagship at 9:30 a.m. on November 18 (30). On the approach to the bay, the Russian squadron was met with fire from Turkish ships and coastal batteries. The Russian ships continued to approach the enemy without firing a single shot, and only when they arrived at the designated places and anchored did they open fire. During the battle, which lasted 3 hours, 15 of 16 enemy ships were set on fire, and 4 of 6 coastal batteries were blown up.
The Battle of Sinop ended in the complete victory of Russian weapons. The Turks lost almost all their ships and over 3,000 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 Turkey's naval forces and thwarted its plans to land troops on the Caucasus coast.
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, the 120,000-strong Anglo-French-Turkish army began an assault on Sevastopol on October 5 (17), 1854, which was defended by a garrison of 58 thousand people. For 11 months, Russian troops steadfastly held the defense of the city, despite the enemy's superiority 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 unsuccessful. On August 27 (September 8), 1855, its defenders left the South Side and crossed 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 seize the pass, holding it until the Russian Danube Army launched a general offensive.
Siege of Plevna in 1877
During the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The combined Russian-Romanian troops, after unsuccessful assaults on Plevna, moved on to a siege, blocking the Turkish troops. On the night of November 27 to 28 (December 9 to 10), parts of the Turkish garrison attempted to break 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 the attack was revealed.
Shutrm of Kars 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, whose garrison consisted of 25 thousand people, was carried out for 8 days (with interruptions). After which, 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 captured the fortress on November 6 (18). More than 17 thousand Turkish soldiers and officers were captured.
Defense of Port Arthur in 1904
On the night of January 27 (February 9), 1904 Japanese destroyers suddenly attacked the Russian squadron stationed in the outer roadstead in Port Arthur, damaging 2 battleships and one cruiser. This act started the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905.
At the end of July 1904, the siege of Port Arthur began (garrison - 50.5 thousand people, 646 guns). The 3rd Japanese Army, which stormed the fortress, numbered 70 thousand people, about 70 guns. After three unsuccessful assaults, the enemy, having received reinforcements, launched a new assault on November 13 (26). 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 to the enemy on December 20, 1904 (January 2, 1905). In the fight 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 Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 entered on January 27 (February 9), 1904, into an unequal battle with the ships of the Japanese squadron, sank one destroyer and damaged 2 cruisers. "Varyag" was scuttled by the crew to avoid its capture by the enemy.
BATTLE OF MUKDE 1904
The Battle of Mukden took place on February 6 (19) - February 25 (March 10), 1904 during the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Three Russian armies (293 thousand bayonets and sabers) took part in the battle against five Japanese armies (270 thousand bayonets and sabers).
Despite the almost equal balance of forces, Russian troops under the command of General A.N. Kuropatkin were defeated, but the goal of the Japanese command - to encircle and destroy them - was not achieved. The Mukden battle, in concept and scope (front - 155 km, depth - 80 km, duration - 19 days), was 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 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 of the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke Ferdinand, in Sarajevo. 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 actions covered the territory of Europe, Asia and Africa. The main land fronts were the Western (French). Eastern (Russian), the main naval theaters of military operations are the Northern, Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Sea. There were five campaigns during the war. The most significant battles and operations involving Russian troops are given below.
The Battle of Galicia is a strategic offensive operation of the troops of the Southwestern Front under the command of General N.I. Ivanov, 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 some 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 from September 15 (28) to October 26 (November 8), 1914. In the oncoming battles, Russian troops stopped advancing the enemy, and then launching a counter-offensive, 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 their forces from the Western to the Eastern Front and weaken their attacks 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 July 21, the strike force of the 3rd Turkish Army pushed back the main forces of the 4th Corps of the Caucasian Army and created the threat of a breakthrough her defense. However, Russian troops launched a counterattack on the left flank and rear of the enemy, who, fearing an encirclement, began to hastily retreat. As a result, the plan of the Turkish command to break through the defenses of the Caucasian Army in the Kara 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 was to capture the city and fortress of Erzurum, defeat the 3rd Turkish army until reinforcements arrive. The Caucasian army broke through the heavily fortified defenses of the Turkish troops, and then, with attacks on directions converging from the north, east and south, took Erzurum by storm, throwing the enemy 70-100 km to the west. The success of the operation was achieved thanks to the right choice the direction of the main attack, careful preparation of the offensive, wide maneuver 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 upon. In accordance with this, the Russian command planned to launch a major offensive on all fronts in mid-June 1916. The main blow was to be delivered by troops of the Western Front from the Molodechno region to Vilna, and auxiliary attacks by the Northern Front from the Dvinsk region and the Southwestern Front from the Rivne region to Lutsk. During the discussion of the campaign plan, differences emerged among the top military leadership. Commander of the Western Front, Infantry General A.E. Evert expressed concern that the front troops would not be able to break through the enemy’s well-prepared engineering defenses. Recently appointed commander of the Southwestern Front, cavalry general A.A. Brusilov, on the contrary, insisted that his front not only could, but should, intensify its actions.
At the disposal of A.A. Brusilov there 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 front forces numbered 573 thousand infantry, 60 thousand cavalry, 1770 light and 168 heavy guns. They were opposed by an Austro-German group 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. Bothmer) 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, due to 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 and perform for 2 weeks ahead of schedule.
The offensive began along the entire front on May 22 (June 4) with a powerful artillery bombardment, which lasted in different areas from 6 to 46 hours. The greatest success was achieved by the 8th Army, which advanced in the Lutsk direction. After only 3 days, its 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, Russian troops, having broken through the enemy’s defenses, captured the city of Yazlovets. The 9th Army broke through an 11-kilometer front in the Dobronouc area and defeated the 7th Austro-Hungarian Army, and then cleared all of Bukovina.
The successful actions of the Southwestern Front should have supported the troops of the Western Front, but General Evert, citing the incompleteness of the concentration, ordered the offensive to be postponed. The Germans immediately took advantage of this mistake by the Russian command. 4 infantry divisions from France and Italy were transferred to the Kovel area, where units of the 8th Army were supposed to advance. On June 3 (16), 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. Linsingen.
From June 12 (25) there was a forced calm on the Southwestern Front. The offensive resumed on June 20 (July 3). After a powerful bombardment, the 8th and 3rd armies broke through the enemy's defenses. The 11th and 7th advancing in the center did not achieve much success. Units of the 9th Army captured the town of Delyatin.
When, at last, Headquarters realized that the success of the campaign was being decided on the Southwestern Front, and transferred reserves there, time had already been lost. The enemy concentrated large forces there. The special army (commanded by General V.M. Bezobrazov), which consisted of selected guards units and whose help Nicholas II really counted on, in fact turned out to be ineffective due to the low combat skills of the senior officers. The fighting became protracted, and by mid-September the front had finally stabilized.
The offensive operation of the troops of the Southwestern Front was completed. It lasted more than a hundred days. Despite the fact that the initial success was not used by 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 complete defeat. Its total losses amounted to about 1.5 million people. Russian troops alone captured 8,924 officers and 408,000 soldiers. 581 guns, 1,795 machine guns, and about 450 bomb throwers and mortars were captured. The losses of Russian troops amounted to about 500 thousand people. To eliminate a breakthrough; the enemy was forced to transfer 34 infantry and cavalry divisions to the Russian front. This eased the situation for the French at Verdun and the Italians in Trentino. The English historian L. Hart wrote: “Russia sacrificed itself for the sake of its allies, and it is unfair to forget that the allies are Russia’s unpaid debtors for this.” The immediate result of the actions of the Southwestern Front was Romania's renunciation of neutrality and its accession to the Entente.
Military actions during the period 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 30s of the XX century. The situation in the Far East sharply worsened, 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), taking into account 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 of the Zaozernaya heights by the Japanese (the Manchu name is Zhangofeng), sent a reserve outpost there. The Japanese side regarded this step as provocative, considering that Zhangofeng is located on the territory of Manchuria. By decision of the Japanese government, the 19th Infantry Division was transferred to the Lake Khasan area, and two more infantry divisions, one infantry and one cavalry brigade were preparing for relocation. On July 15, 5 Japanese violated the border in the area of Lake Khasan, and when Soviet border guards tried to detain them, one person was killed. This incident led to an escalation in late July and early August of hostilities between Soviet and Japanese troops in the area of the Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya heights.
To defeat the enemy, the commander 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 with the goal of defeating 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 to the USSR government to begin negotiations, and on August 11, hostilities between the Soviet and Japanese troops ceased.
The losses 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 of the Khalkhin Gol River 1939
In January 1936, in the face of an increased threat of attack on the Mongolian People's Republic (MPR) from Japan, the Mongolian government turned to the USSR government with a request for military assistance. On March 12, in Ulaanbaatar, the Soviet-Mongolian Protocol on Mutual Assistance was signed for a period of 10 years, which replaced the 1934 agreement. In accordance with this protocol, by May 1939, the 57th separate rifle corps was stationed on the territory of Mongolia, the base of which was subsequently deployed by the 1st Army Group.
The situation on the eastern border of the Mongolian People's Republic began to heat up after a surprise attack on May 11, 1939 by Japanese-Manchurian troops on the border outposts eastern of the Khalkhin Gol River. By the end of June 1939, the Japanese Kwantung Army had 38 thousand soldiers and officers, 310 guns, 135 tanks, 225 aircraft. The Soviet-Mongolian troops, which were taken over by Divisional Commander K. Zhukov on June 12, 1939, 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 goal of encircling and destroying Soviet-Mongolian units and seizing an operational bridgehead on the western bank of Khalkhin Gol for the deployment of subsequent offensive actions in the direction of Soviet Transbaikalia. However, during three days of bloody battles, 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 repulsed everywhere.
In early August, the Japanese 6th 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.
Soviet-Mongolian troops, brought together in July into the 1st army group under the command of the corps commander K. Zhukov, there were 55.3 thousand soldiers and commanders. They included 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. Having forestalled 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 on the enemy flanks, on August 23, four Japanese regiments were encircled. By the end of August 31, the group of Japanese troops was completely defeated. Air battles continued until September 15, and on September 16, at Japan’s request, a Soviet-Japanese agreement on a cessation of hostilities was signed.
During the battles 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 killed, 1,143 people missing, 15,251 people wounded, shell-shocked and burned.
Soviet-Finnish War 1939-1940
By the end of the 30s, relations between the Soviet Union and Finland worsened, which feared great-power aspirations on the part of the USSR, and the latter, in turn, did not exclude its rapprochement with the Western powers and their use of Finnish territory to attack the USSR. Tension in relations between the two countries was also caused by the construction by the Finns of powerful defensive fortifications on the Karelian Isthmus, the so-called Mannerheim Line. All attempts to normalize Soviet-Finnish relations through diplomatic means were unsuccessful. The USSR government, 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 broke off 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 Finnish armed forces, together with a trained reserve, numbered up to 600 thousand people, about 900 guns of various calibers, and 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 - 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, to support which the Red Banner Baltic Fleet and the Ladoga Military Flotilla were allocated. In total, the group of Soviet troops numbered 422.6 thousand people, about 2,500 guns and mortars, up to 2,000 tanks, 1,863 combat aircraft, more than 200 warships and vessels.
The military 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, troops of the 14th Army, in cooperation with the Northern Fleet, in December captured the Rybachy and Sredniy 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, penetrated 35-45 km deep into the enemy’s defenses. Units of the 8th Army fought forward up to 80 km, but some of them were surrounded and forced to retreat.
The most difficult and bloody battles took place on the Karelian Isthmus, where the 7th Army was advancing. By December 12, army troops, with the support of aviation and the navy, overcame the support zone (forefield) and reached the front edge of the main strip of the Mannerheim Line, but were unable to 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, disbanded at the beginning of December 1939, was recreated. The front included the 7th Army and the 13th Army, created at the end of December. For two months, Soviet troops underwent training on overcoming long-term fortifications at special training grounds. At the beginning of 1940, part of the forces was separated 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 Northwestern Front under the command of Army Commander 1st Rank S.K. Timoshenko went on the offensive. On February 14, units of the 123rd Infantry Division of the 7th Army crossed the main strip of the Mannerheim Line and the 84th Infantry Division from the front reserve and a mobile group (two tanks and a rifle battalion) were introduced into the breakthrough.
On February 19, the main forces of the 7th Army reached the second stripe, and the left flank formations of the 13th Army reached the main stripe of the Mannerheim Line. After regrouping and the approach of artillery and rear forces, Soviet troops resumed their 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 next day hostilities were stopped. According to the agreement, the border on the Karelian Isthmus was moved back by 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 Sredniy and Rybachy peninsulas in the Barents Sea, and for a period of 30 years the Hanko Peninsula was provided with the right to create on it naval base.
The war between the Soviet Union and Finland came at a high price for both countries. According to Finnish sources, Finland lost 48,243 people killed and 43,000 wounded. The losses of the Soviet troops amounted to: 126,875 people killed, missing, died from wounds and illnesses, as well as 248 thousand wounded, shell-shocked and frostbitten.
Such large 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 natural and climatic conditions, but also to shortcomings in the preparation of the Red Army. Soviet troops were not prepared to overcome dense minefields or to take decisive action in breaking through the complex system of long-term fortifications on the Karelian Isthmus. There were serious shortcomings in the command and control of troops, the organization of operational and tactical cooperation, in providing personnel with winter uniforms and food, and in the provision of medical care.
The enemy turned out to be better prepared for war, although he also suffered significant losses in people. Finnish army, its equipment, weapons and tactics were well adapted to conducting combat operations in terrain with numerous lakes and large forests, in conditions of heavy snow and harsh winters, using natural obstacles.
The most important battles and operations of the Second World War 1939-1945.
The largest war in human history 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. First period (September 1, 1939 - June 21, 1941): the beginning of the war and the invasion of German troops into Western Europe. Second period (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942): Nazi Germany’s attack on the USSR, expansion of the war, the collapse of Hitler’s blitzkrieg doctrine. 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. Fourth period (January 1, 1944 - May 9, 1945): the defeat of the fascist bloc, the expulsion of enemy troops outside the USSR, 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 the Second World War.
The USSR took part in World War II 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.
Based on the “Barbarossa” plan developed by Hitler’s 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 is the Moscow strategic defensive operation September 30 - December 5, 1941. The operation was carried out by troops of the Western, Reserve, Bryansk and Kalinin fronts. During the fighting, the following additional units were added to the Soviet troops: the directorates of the Kalinin Front, the 1st Shock Army, the 5th, 10th and 16th armies, as well as 34 divisions and 40 brigades.
During the operation, the Oryol-Bryansk, Vyazemsk, Kalinin, Mozhaisk-Maloyaroslavets, Tula and Klin-Solnechnogorsk frontal 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 withdrawal of Soviet troops is 250-300 km. Beginning on September 30, the operation marked the beginning of the Battle of Moscow, which became the main event of 1941 not only on the Soviet-German front, but throughout the entire Second World War.
During fierce battles on the distant 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, mass heroism of soldiers of various branches of the Red Army, the courage and fortitude of Muscovites, fighters of destruction battalions, and militia formations
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 became one of the most important components of the overall victory, continues to amaze us today.
Over the long years of the war, so many battles took place that even some historians disagree on the meaning of certain battles. And yet, the largest battles, which have a significant impact on the further course of military operations, are known to almost every person. It is these battles that will be discussed in our article.
| Name of the battle | Military leaders who took part in the battle | Outcome of the battle |
|---|---|---|
Aviation Major A.P. Ionov, Aviation Major General T.F. Kutsevalov, F.I. Kuznetsov, V.F. Tributs. | Despite the stubborn struggle of the Soviet soldiers, the operation ended on July 9 after the Germans broke through the defenses in the area of the Velikaya River. This military operation smoothly transitioned into the fight for the Leningrad region. |
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G.K. Zhukov, I.S. Konev, M.F. Lukin, P.A. Kurochkin, K.K. Rokossovsky | This battle is considered one of the bloodiest in the history of the Second World War. At the cost of millions of losses, the Soviet army managed to delay the advance of Hitler's army on Moscow. |
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Popov M.M., Frolov V.A., Voroshilov K.E., Zhukov G.K., Meretskov K.A. | After the siege of Leningrad began, local residents and military leaders had to fight fierce battles for several years. As a result, the blockade was lifted and the city was liberated. However, Leningrad itself suffered horrific destruction, and the death toll of local residents exceeded several hundred thousand. |
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I.V. Stalin, G.K. Zhukov, A.M. Vasilevsky, S.M. Budyonny, A.A. Vlasov. | Despite huge losses, Soviet troops managed to win. The Germans were thrown back 150-200 kilometers, and Soviet troops managed to liberate the Tula, Ryazan and Moscow regions. |
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I.S. Konev, G.K. Zhukov. | The Germans were pushed back another 200 kilometers. Soviet troops completed the liberation of the Tula and Moscow regions and liberated some areas of the Smolensk region |
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A.M. Vasilevsky, N.F. Vatutin, A.I. Eremenko, S.K. Timoshenko, V.I. Chuikov | It is the victory at Stalingrad that many historians call one of the most important turning points during the Second World War. The Red Army managed to win a strong-willed victory, throwing the Germans far back and proving that the fascist army also had its vulnerabilities. |
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CM. Budyonny, I.E. Petrov, I.I. Maslennikov, F.S. October | Soviet troops were able to win a landslide victory, liberating Checheno-Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Stavropol Territory and Rostov Region. |
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Georgy Zhukov, Ivan Konev, Konstantin Rokossovsky | The Kursk Bulge became one of the bloodiest battles, but ensured the end of the turning point during the Second World War. Soviet troops managed to push the Germans back even further, almost to the border of the country. |
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V.D. Sokolovsky, I.Kh. Baghramyan | On the one hand, the operation was unsuccessful, because Soviet troops failed to reach Minsk and capture Vitebsk. However, the fascist forces were severely wounded, and as a result of the battle, tank reserves were practically running out. |
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Konstantin Rokossovsky, Alexey Antonov, Ivan Bagramyan, Georgy Zhukov | Operation Bagration turned out to be incredibly successful, because the territories of Belarus, part of the Baltic states and areas of Eastern Poland were recaptured. |
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Georgy Zhukov, Ivan Konev | Soviet troops managed to defeat 35 enemy divisions and directly reach Berlin for the final battle. |
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I.V. Stalin, G.K. Zhukov, K.K. Rokossovsky, I.S. Konev | After prolonged resistance, Soviet troops managed to take the capital of Germany. With the capture of Berlin, the Great Patriotic War officially ended. |