Briefly about World War II

Vtoraya mirovaya voyna 1939-1945

Beginning of World War II

Stages of World War II

Causes of World War II

Results of the Second World War

Foreword

• In addition, this is the first war, during which nuclear weapons were first used. In total, 61 countries on all continents took part in this war, which made it possible to call this world war, and the dates of its beginning and end are considered the most significant for the history of all mankind.

• It is worth adding that World War I, despite the defeat of Germany, did not allow to finally defuse the situation and settle territorial disputes.

• Thus, within the framework of this policy, Austria was given up without firing a shot, thanks to which Germany gained enough strength to challenge the rest of the world.
  The states that united against the aggression of Germany and its allies included the Soviet Union, the United States, France, Great Britain and China.

• This was followed by the third stage, which became crushing for Nazi Germany - within a year, the advance deep into the territory of the Union republics was stopped, and the German troops lost the initiative in the war. This stage is considered to be a turning point. During the fourth stage, which ended on May 9, 1945, Nazi Germany was completely defeated, and Berlin was taken by the troops of the Soviet Union. It is also customary to distinguish the fifth, final stage, which lasted until September 2, 1945, in which the last centers of resistance of the allies of Nazi Germany were broken, and nuclear bombs were dropped on Japan.

Briefly about the main

• At the same time, knowing the full extent of the threat, the Soviet authorities, instead of focusing on the defense of their western borders, ordered an attack on Finland. During the bloody take Mannerheim lines several tens of thousands of Finnish defenders died, and more than a hundred thousand Soviet soldiers, while only a small territory north of St. Petersburg was captured.

• However repressive policy Stalin in the 30s significantly weakened the army. After the Holodomor of 1933-1934, carried out in most of modern Ukraine, the suppression of national identity among the peoples of the republics and the destruction of most of the officer corps, there was no normal infrastructure on the western borders of the country, and the local population was so intimidated that at first entire detachments appeared, fighting on the side of the Germans. However, when the Nazis treated the people even worse, the national liberation movements found themselves between two fires, and were quickly destroyed.

• There is an opinion that Nazi Germany's initial success in taking over the Soviet Union was planned. For Stalin, this was a great opportunity to destroy the peoples hostile to him by proxy. Slowing down the advance of the Nazis, throwing crowds of unarmed recruits to the slaughter, full-fledged defensive lines were created near distant cities, on which the German offensive was bogged down.

• The greatest role during the Great Patriotic War was played by several major battles in which Soviet troops inflicted crushing defeats on the Germans. So, in just three months from the beginning of the war, the Nazi troops managed to get to Moscow, where full-fledged defensive lines had already been prepared. A number of battles that took place near the modern capital of Russia are commonly called Battle for Moscow. It lasted from September 30, 1941 to April 20, 1942, and it was here that the Germans suffered their first serious defeat.

• Another, even more important event was the siege of Stalingrad and the Battle of Stalingrad that followed. The siege began on July 17, 1942, and during the turning point of the battle was lifted on February 2, 1943. It was this battle that turned the tide of the war, and took away the strategic initiative from the Germans. Further, from July 5 to August 23, 1943, the Battle of Kursk took place, to this day there has not been a single battle in which such a large number of tanks participated.

• However, we must pay tribute to the allies of the Soviet Union. So, after the bloody Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the US Navy struck at the Japanese fleet, and eventually broke the enemy on their own. However, many still believe that the United States acted extremely cruelly by dropping nuclear bombs on cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After such an impressive show of force, the Japanese capitulated. In addition, the combined forces of the United States and Great Britain, which Hitler, despite the defeat in the Soviet Union, feared more than the Soviet troops, landed in Normandy and recaptured all the countries captured by the Nazis, thus diverting the forces of the Germans, which helped the Red Army to enter Berlin.

• To prevent the terrible events of these six years from being repeated, the participating countries created United Nations, which to this day strives to maintain security throughout the world. The use of nuclear weapons also showed the world how destructive this type of weapon is, so all countries signed an agreement to ban their production and use. And to this day, it is the memory of these events that keeps civilized countries from new conflicts that can turn into a destructive and disastrous war.

The Second World War was the bloodiest and most brutal military conflict in the history of mankind and the only one in which nuclear weapons were used. 61 states took part in it. The dates of the beginning and end of this war (September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945) are among the most significant for the entire civilized world.

The causes of World War II were the imbalance of power in the world and the problems provoked by the results, in particular territorial disputes.

The United States, England and France, who won the First World War, concluded the Treaty of Versailles on the most unfavorable and humiliating conditions for the losing countries (Turkey and Germany), which provoked an increase in tension in the world. At the same time, adopted in the late 1930s. Britain and France's policy of appeasing the aggressor made it possible for Germany to sharply increase its military potential, which accelerated the fascists' transition to active military operations.

The members of the anti-Hitler bloc were the USSR, the USA, France, England, China (Chiang Kai-shek), Greece, Yugoslavia, Mexico, etc. On the part of Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, China (Wang Jingwei), Thailand, Iraq, etc. participated in World War II. Many states participating in the Second World War did not conduct operations on the fronts, but helped by supplying food, medicines and other necessary resources.

Researchers identify the following stages of World War II:

• first stage: from September 1, 1939 to June 21, 1941 - the period of the European blitzkrieg of Germany and the allies;
• second stage: June 22, 1941 - approximately mid-November 1942 - attack on the USSR and the subsequent failure of the Barbarossa plan;
• the third stage: the second half of November 1942 - the end of 1943 - a radical turning point in the war and the loss of strategic initiative by Germany. At the end of 1943, at the Tehran Conference, in which Roosevelt and Churchill took part, it was decided to open a second front;
• the fourth stage: from the end of 1943 to May 9, 1945 - was marked by the capture of Berlin and the unconditional surrender of Germany;
• fifth stage: May 10, 1945 - September 2, 1945 - during this time, fighting was fought only in Southeast Asia and the Far East. The United States used nuclear weapons for the first time.

The beginning of World War II fell on September 1, 1939. On this day, the Wehrmacht suddenly began aggression against Poland. Despite the retaliatory declaration of war by France, Great Britain and some other countries, no real assistance was provided to Poland. Already on September 28, Poland was captured. The peace treaty between Germany and the USSR was concluded on the same day. Having received a reliable rear, Germany began active preparations for war with France, which capitulated already in 1940, on June 22. Nazi Germany began large-scale preparations for war on the eastern front with the USSR. was approved already in 1940, on December 18. The Soviet top leadership received reports of the impending attack, however, fearing to provoke Germany and believing that the attack would be carried out at a later date, they deliberately did not put the border units on alert.

In the chronology of World War II, the period from June 22, 1941 to May 9, 1945, known in Russia as . The USSR on the eve of World War II was an actively developing state. Since the threat of a conflict with Germany increased over time, defense and heavy industry and science developed first of all in the country. Closed design bureaus were created, whose activities were aimed at developing the latest weapons. Discipline was tightened to the maximum at all enterprises and collective farms. In the 30s. more than 80% of the officers of the Red Army were repressed. To make up for the losses, a network of military schools and academies was created. However, there was not enough time for full-fledged training of personnel.

The main battles of World War II, which were of great importance for the history of the USSR:

• (September 30, 1941 - April 20, 1942), which became the first victory of the Red Army;
• (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943), which marked a radical turning point in the war;
• (July 5 - August 23, 1943), during which the largest tank battle of the Second World War took place under the village. Prokhorovka;
• which led to the surrender of Germany.

Important events for the course of World War II took place not only on the fronts of the USSR. Among the operations carried out by the allies, it is worth noting:

• the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which caused the United States to enter World War II;
• the opening of a second front and the landing of troops in Normandy on June 6, 1944;
• the use of nuclear weapons on August 6 and 9, 1945 to strike at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The date of the end of the Second World War was September 2, 1945. Japan signed the act of surrender only after the defeat of the Kwantung Army by the Soviet troops. The battles of World War II, according to the most rough estimates, claimed about 65 million people on both sides.

The Soviet Union suffered the greatest losses in World War II - 27 million citizens of the country were killed. It was the USSR that took the brunt of the blow. These figures, according to some researchers, are approximate. It was the stubborn resistance of the Red Army that became the main reason for the defeat of the Reich.

The results of World War II horrified everyone. Military operations have put the very existence of civilization on the brink. During the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, fascist ideology was condemned, and many war criminals were punished. In order to prevent the possibility of a new world war in the future, at the Yalta Conference in 1945 it was decided to create the United Nations (UN), which still exists today.

The results of the nuclear bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to the signing of pacts on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, a ban on their production and use. It must be said that the consequences of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are felt today.

The economic consequences of the Second World War were also serious. For Western European countries, it turned into a genuine economic disaster. The influence of Western European countries has significantly decreased. At the same time, the United States managed to maintain and strengthen its positions.

The significance of the Second World War for the Soviet Union is enormous. The defeat of the Nazis determined the future history of the country. According to the results of the conclusion of the peace treaties that followed the defeat of Germany, the USSR significantly expanded its borders.

At the same time, the totalitarian system was strengthened in the Union. In some European countries, communist regimes were established. Victory in the war did not save the USSR from those that followed in the 50s. mass repression.

Commanders

Side forces

The Second World War(September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945) - the war of two world military-political coalitions, which became the largest war in the history of mankind. It involved 61 states out of 73 that existed at that time (80% of the world's population). The fighting took place on the territory of three continents and in the waters of four oceans.

Military operations at sea in World War II

Members

The number of countries involved varied over the course of the war. Some of them were active in the war, others helped their allies with food supplies, and many participated in the war only nominally.

The anti-Hitler coalition included: the USSR, the British Empire, the USA, Poland, France and other countries.

On the other hand, the Axis countries and their allies participated in the war: Germany, Italy, Japan, Finland, Romania, Bulgaria and other countries.

Background of the war

The prerequisites for the war stem from the so-called Versailles-Washington system - the balance of power that developed after the First World War. The main winners (France, Great Britain, USA) were unable to make the new world order sustainable. Moreover, Britain and France counted on a new war to strengthen their positions as colonial powers and weaken competitors (Germany and Japan). Germany was limited in participation in international affairs, the creation of a full-fledged army and was subject to indemnities. With the decline in living standards in Germany, political forces with revanchist ideas led by A. Hitler came to power.

German battleship Schleswig-Holstein firing on Polish positions

1939 campaign

Capture of Poland

World War II began on September 1, 1939 with a surprise German attack on Poland. The Polish naval forces did not include large surface ships, were not ready for war with Germany and were quickly defeated. Three Polish destroyers left for England before the start of the war, German aircraft sank a destroyer and a mine layer Gryf .

The beginning of the struggle at sea

Operations on communications in the Atlantic Ocean

In the initial period of the war, the German command expected to solve the problem of combating sea communications, using surface raiders as the main striking force. Submarines and aviation were assigned a supporting role. They were supposed to force the British to transport in convoys, which facilitated the actions of surface raiders. The British intended to use the convoy method as the main method of protecting shipping from submarines, and to use long-range blockade as the main method of combating surface raiders, following the experience of the First World War. To this end, at the beginning of the war, the British established naval patrols in the English Channel and in the Shetland Islands - Norway region. But these actions were ineffective - surface raiders, and even more so German submarines, were actively operating on communications - allies and neutral countries lost 221 merchant ships with a total tonnage of 755 thousand tons by the end of the year.

German merchant ships had instructions to start the war and tried to reach the ports of Germany or friendly countries, about 40 ships were sunk by their crews, and only 19 ships fell into the hands of the enemy at the beginning of the war.

Operations in the North Sea

With the outbreak of war, a large-scale laying of minefields in the North Sea began, which fettered active operations in it until the end of the war. Both sides mined the approaches to their coast with wide barrier belts of dozens of minefields. German destroyers set up minefields off the coast of England.

German submarine raid U-47 in Scapa Flow, during which she sank an English battleship HMS Royal Oak showed the weakness of the entire anti-submarine defense of the British fleet.

Capture of Norway and Denmark

1940 campaign

Occupation of Denmark and Norway

In April - May 1940, German troops carried out Operation Weserübung, during which they captured Denmark and Norway. With the support and under the cover of large aviation forces, 1 battleship, 6 cruisers, 14 destroyers and other ships in Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Narvik, a total of up to 10 thousand people were landed. The operation came as a surprise to the British, who belatedly got involved. The British fleet in battles 10 and 13 in Narvik destroyed German destroyers. On May 24, the Allied command ordered the evacuation from Northern Norway, which was carried out from June 4 to 8. During the evacuation on June 9, German battleships sank an aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and 2 destroyers. In total, during the operation, the Germans lost a heavy cruiser, 2 light cruisers, 10 destroyers, 8 submarines and other ships, the Allies lost an aircraft carrier, a cruiser, 7 destroyers, 6 submarines.

Operations in the Mediterranean. 1940-1941

Activities in the Mediterranean

Military operations in the Mediterranean theater began after Italy declared war on England and France on June 10, 1940. The fighting of the Italian fleet began with the laying of minefields in the Strait of Tunis and on the approaches to their bases, with the deployment of submarines, as well as with air raids on Malta.

The first major naval battle between the Italian Navy and the British Navy was the battle at Punta Stilo (in English sources also known as the battle of Calabria. The clash occurred on July 9, 1940 at the southeastern tip of the Apennine Peninsula. As a result of the battle, neither side lost But Italy was damaged: 1 battleship, 1 heavy cruiser and 1 destroyer, while the British - 1 light cruiser and 2 destroyers.

French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir

Capitulation of France

On June 22, France capitulated. Despite the terms of surrender, the Vichy government had no intention of handing over the fleet to Germany. Distrustful of the French, the British government launched Operation Catapult to seize French ships located in different bases. In Porsmouth and Plymouth, 2 battleships, 2 destroyers, 5 submarines were captured; ships in Alexandria and Martinique were disarmed. In Mers-el-Kebir and Dakar, where the French resisted, the British sank a battleship Bretagne and damaged three more battleships. From the captured ships, the Free French fleet was organized, meanwhile the Vichy government broke off relations with Great Britain.

Operations in the Atlantic in 1940-1941.

After the surrender of the Netherlands on 14 May, the German ground forces pinned the Allied troops to the sea. From May 26 to June 4, 1940, during Operation Dynamo, 338,000 Allied troops were evacuated to Britain from the French coast near Dunkirk. At the same time, the Allied fleet suffered heavy losses from German aviation - about 300 ships and vessels perished.

In 1940, German boats ceased to operate under the rules of prize law and switched to unrestricted submarine warfare. After the capture of Norway and the western regions of France, the basing system of German boats expanded. After Italy entered the war, 27 Italian boats began to be based in Bordeaux. The Germans gradually switched from the actions of single boats to the actions of groups of boats with curtains that blocked the ocean area.

German auxiliary cruisers successfully operated on ocean communications - until the end of 1940, 6 cruisers captured and destroyed 54 ships with a displacement of 366,644 tons.

1941 campaign

Operations in the Mediterranean in 1941

Activities in the Mediterranean

In May 1941, German troops captured about. Crete. The British Navy, which was waiting for enemy ships near the island, lost 3 cruisers, 6 destroyers, more than 20 other ships and transports from attacks by German aircraft, 3 battleships, an aircraft carrier, 6 cruisers, 7 destroyers were damaged.

Active actions on Japanese communications put the Japanese economy in a difficult position, disrupted the implementation of the shipbuilding program, and complicated the transportation of strategic raw materials and troops. In addition to submarines, the surface forces of the US Navy, and above all TF-58 (TF-38), also actively participated in the battle on communications. In terms of the number of Japanese transports sunk, the carrier forces were second only to submarines. Only in the period of October 10 - 16, the aircraft carrier groups of the 38th formation, having subjected naval bases, ports and airfields in the Taiwan, Philippines, to strikes, destroyed about 600 aircraft on the ground and in the air, sank 34 transports and several auxiliary ships.

Landing in France

Landing in France

On June 6, 1944, Operation Overlord (Normandy Landing Operation) began. Under the cover of massive air strikes and naval artillery fire, an amphibious landing of 156 thousand people was carried out. The operation was supported by a fleet of 6,000 military and landing ships and transport ships.

The German navy offered almost no resistance to the amphibious landings. The Allies suffered the main losses from mines - 43 ships were blown up on them. During the second half of 1944, in the landing area off the coast of England and in the English Channel, as a result of the actions of German submarines, torpedo boats, and mines, 60 Allied transports were lost.

German submarine sinks transport

Actions in the Atlantic Ocean

German troops began to retreat under pressure from the landed Allied troops. As a result, the German Navy lost bases on the Atlantic coast by the end of the year. On September 18, units of the allies entered Brest, on September 25 troops occupied Boulogne. Also in September, the Belgian ports of Ostend and Antwerp were liberated. By the end of the year, the fighting in the ocean had ceased.

In 1944, the Allies were able to ensure almost complete security of communications. To protect communications, they at that time had 118 escort aircraft carriers, 1,400 destroyers, frigates and sloops, and about 3,000 other patrol ships. Coastal aviation PLO consisted of 1700 aircraft, 520 flying boats. The total losses in the allied and neutral tonnage in the Atlantic as a result of the actions of submarines in the second half of 1944 amounted to only 58 ships with a total tonnage of 270,000 gross tons. The Germans lost 98 boats at sea during this period alone.

Submarines

Signing of Japan's surrender

Action in the Pacific

Possessing an overwhelming superiority in forces, the American armed forces in tense battles in 1945 broke the stubborn resistance of the Japanese troops and captured the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. For landing operations, the United States attracted huge forces, so the fleet off the coast of Okinawa consisted of 1,600 ships. For all the days of fighting off Okinawa, 368 Allied ships were damaged, another 36 (including 15 landing ships and 12 destroyers) were sunk. The Japanese had 16 ships sunk, including the battleship Yamato.

In 1945, American air raids on Japan's bases and coastal installations became systematic, and strikes were carried out by both coastal-based naval aviation and strategic aviation and strike aircraft carrier formations. In March - July 1945, American aircraft sank or damaged all large Japanese surface ships as a result of massive strikes.

On August 8, the USSR declared war on Japan. From August 12 to 20, 1945, the Pacific Fleet conducted a series of landings that captured the ports of Korea. On August 18, the Kuril landing operation was launched, during which Soviet troops occupied the Kuril Islands.

September 2, 1945 aboard the battleship USS Missouri Japan's surrender was signed, ending World War II.

The results of the war

The Second World War had a huge impact on the fate of mankind. It involved 72 states (80% of the world's population), military operations were conducted on the territory of 40 states. The total human losses reached 60-65 million people, of which 27 million people were killed on the fronts.

The war ended with the victory of the anti-Hitler coalition. As a result of the war, the role of Western Europe in world politics was weakened. The main powers in the world were the USSR and the USA. Great Britain and France, despite the victory, were significantly weakened. The war showed the inability of them and other Western European countries to maintain huge colonial empires. Europe was divided into two camps: Western capitalist and Eastern socialist. Relations between the two blocs deteriorated sharply. A couple of years after the end of the war, the Cold War began.

History of World Wars. - M: Tsentrpoligraf, 2011. - 384 p. -

A terrible war with large-scale human losses did not begin in 1939 year, but much earlier. After the First World War 1918 almost all European countries acquired new borders. Most were deprived of part of their historical territory, which led to small wars in conversation and in mind.

The new generation brought up hatred for enemies and resentment for the lost cities. There were reasons to resume the war. However, in addition to psychological reasons, there were also important historical preconditions. The Second World War, in short, involved the entire globe in hostilities.

Causes of the war

Scientists identify several main reasons for the outbreak of hostilities:

Territorial disputes. War winners 1918 England and France divided Europe with their allies at their own discretion. The collapse of the Russian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire led to the emergence 9- ty new states. The lack of clear boundaries gave rise to great controversy. The defeated countries wanted to return their borders, and the winners did not want to part with the annexed territories. All territorial issues in Europe have always been resolved with the help of weapons. It was impossible to avoid the start of a new war.

colonial disputes. The defeated countries were deprived of their colonies, which were a constant source of replenishment of the treasury. In the colonies themselves, the local population raised liberation uprisings with armed skirmishes.

Rivalry between states. Germany after the defeat wanted revenge. It has always been the leading power in Europe, and after the war was largely limited.

Dictatorship. The dictatorial regime has grown considerably in many countries. The dictators of Europe first developed their army to suppress internal uprisings, and then to seize new territories.

The emergence of the USSR. The new power was not inferior to the might of the Russian Empire. It was a worthy competitor to the United States and leading European countries. They began to fear the emergence of communist movements.

The beginning of the war

Even before the signing of the Soviet-German agreement, Germany had planned an aggression against the Polish side. At the beginning 1939 year, a decision was made, and 31 august signed directive. State contradictions 30- years led to the Second World War.

The Germans did not admit their defeat in 1918 year and the Versailles agreements, which oppressed the interests of Russia and Germany. Power went to the Nazis, blocs of fascist states began to form, and large states did not have the strength to resist German aggression. Poland was the first on the way of Germany to world domination.

At night 1 September 1939 of the year German secret services began to carry out Operation Himmler. Dressed in Polish uniforms, they seized a radio station in the suburbs and called on the Poles to rise up against the Germans. Hitler announced aggression from the Polish side and began hostilities.

Through 2 Britain and France declared war on Germany, which had previously concluded agreements with Poland on mutual assistance. They were supported by Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India and the countries of South Africa. The outbreak of the war became a world war. But Poland did not receive military and economic assistance from any of the supporting countries. If English and French troops were added to the Polish forces, then the German aggression would be instantly stopped.

The population of Poland rejoiced at the entry into the war of their allies and waited for support. However, time passed, and help did not come. The weak side of the Polish army was aviation.

Two armies of Germany "South" and "North" as part of 62 divisions opposed 6- to the Polish armies from 39 divisions. The Poles fought with dignity, but the numerical superiority of the Germans proved to be the decisive factor. Almost for 2 weeks, almost the entire territory of Poland was occupied. The Curzon Line was formed.

The Polish government left for Romania. The defenders of Warsaw and the Brest Fortress went down in history thanks to their heroism. The Polish army lost its organizational integrity.

Stages of war

With 1 September 1939 before 21 June 1941 The first phase of World War II began. Characterizes the beginning of the war and the entry of the German military into Western Europe. 1 September The Nazis attacked Poland. Through 2 France and England declared war on Germany with their colonies and dominions.

The Polish armed forces did not have time to turn around, the top leadership was weak, and the allied powers were in no hurry to help. The result was the complete cupping of Polish territory.

France and England before May next year did not change their foreign policy. They hoped that German aggression would be directed against the USSR.

In April 1940 The German army entered Denmark without warning and occupied its territory. Norway fell immediately after Denmark. At the same time, the German leadership was implementing the Gelb plan, it was decided to surprise attack France through the neighboring Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The French concentrated their forces on the Maginot Line, and not in the center of the country. Hitler attacked through the Ardennes behind the Maginot Line. 20 May the Germans reached the English Channel, the Dutch and Belgian armies were capitulated. In June, the French fleet was defeated, part of the army managed to evacuate to England.

The French army did not use all the possibilities of resistance. 10 June the government left Paris, which was occupied by the Germans 14 June. Through 8 days signed Compiègne truce (June, 22, 1940 years) - the French act of surrender.

Great Britain was to be next. There was a change of government. The US began to support the British.

spring 1941 the Balkans were captured. 1 Martha fascists appeared in Bulgaria, and 6 April already in Greece and Yugoslavia. Western and Central Europe were dominated by Hitler. Preparations began for an attack on the Soviet Union.

With 22 June 1941 on 18 november 1942 of the year the second phase of the war began. Germany invaded the USSR. A new stage began, characterized by the unification of all military forces in the world against fascism. Roosevelt and Churchill openly declared their support for the Soviet Union. 12 July The USSR and England signed an agreement on common military operations. 2 august The United States pledged to provide military and economic assistance to the Russian army. England and USA 14 august promulgated the Atlantic Charter, which the USSR later joined with its opinion on military issues.

In September, Russian and British troops occupied Iran to prevent the formation of fascist bases in the East. The Anti-Hitler coalition is being created.

The German army met strong resistance autumn 1941 of the year. The plan to capture Leningrad failed, as Sevastopol and Odessa resisted for a long time. On the eve of 1942 year lightning war plan gone. Hitler was defeated near Moscow, and the myth of German invincibility was dispelled. Before Germany became the need for a protracted war.

At the beginning December 1941 The Japanese military attacked a US base in the Pacific. Two powerful powers entered the war. The US declared war on Italy, Japan and Germany. Thanks to this, the anti-Hitler coalition strengthened. A number of mutual assistance agreements were concluded among the allied countries.

With 19 november 1942 before 31 December 1943 of the year the third phase of the war began. It is called a turning point. The military operations of this period acquired a huge scale and intensity. Everything was decided on the Soviet-German front. 19 november Russian troops launched a counteroffensive near Stalingrad (Battle of Stalingrad 17 July 1942 G. - 2 February 1943 G.). Their victory served as a strong stimulus for the following battles.

For the return of Hitler's strategic initiative in the summer 1943 years carried out an attack near Kursk ( Battle of Kursk 5 July 1943 - 23 august 1943 ). He lost and went on the defensive. However, the allies of the Anti-Hitler coalition were in no hurry to fulfill their duties. They were waiting for the exhaustion of Germany and the USSR.

25 July the Italian fascist government was liquidated. The new head declared war on Hitler. The fascist bloc began to disintegrate.

Japan did not weaken the grouping on the Russian border. The United States replenished its military forces and launched successful offensives in the Pacific.

Surrender (defeat) of Japan 2 September 1945 of the year.

With 1 January 1944 on May 9, 1945 . The fascist army was driven out of the USSR, a second front was being created, the European countries were being liberated from the fascists. The joint efforts of the Anti-Fascist Coalition led to the complete collapse of the German army and the surrender of Germany. Great Britain and the United States conducted large-scale operations in Asia and the Pacific.

10 May 1945 of the year - September 2, 1945 . Armed operations are carried out in the Far East, as well as the territory of Southeast Asia. The US used nuclear weapons.

Great Patriotic War (22 June 1941 of the year - 9 May 1945 of the year).
World War II (1 September 1939 - 2 September 1945).

The results of the war

The greatest losses fell on the Soviet Union, which took the brunt of the German army. Died 27 million Human. The resistance of the Red Army led to the defeat of the Reich.

Military action could lead to the collapse of civilization. War criminals and fascist ideology were condemned at all world trials.

AT 1945 in Yalta signed a decision on the creation of the UN to prevent such actions.

The consequences of the use of nuclear weapons over Nagasaki and Hiroshima forced many countries to sign a pact banning the use of weapons of mass destruction.

The countries of Western Europe have lost their economic dominance, which has passed to the United States.

The victory in the war allowed the USSR to expand its borders and strengthen the totalitarian regime. Some countries have become communist.

The first major defeat of the Wehrmacht was the defeat of the Nazi troops in the Battle of Moscow (1941-1942), during which the Nazi "blitzkrieg" was finally thwarted, and the myth of the invincibility of the Wehrmacht was dispelled.

On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a war against the United States with the attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 8, the United States, Great Britain and a number of other states declared war on Japan. On December 11, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The entry of the United States and Japan into the war affected the balance of power and increased the scale of the armed struggle.

In North Africa, in November 1941 and in January-June 1942, hostilities were conducted with varying success, then until the autumn of 1942 there was a lull. In the Atlantic, German submarines continued to inflict great damage on the Allied fleets (by the autumn of 1942, the tonnage of ships sunk, mainly in the Atlantic, amounted to over 14 million tons). At the beginning of 1942, Japan occupied Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma in the Pacific Ocean, inflicted a major defeat on the British fleet in the Gulf of Thailand, the Anglo-American-Dutch fleet in the Java operation and established dominance at sea. The American Navy and Air Force, significantly reinforced by the summer of 1942, defeated the Japanese fleet in naval battles in the Coral Sea (May 7-8) and at Midway Island (June).

Third period of the war (November 19, 1942 - December 31, 1943) began with a counteroffensive of the Soviet troops, culminating in the defeat of the 330,000th German group during the Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943), which marked the beginning of a radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War and had a great influence on the further course of the entire Second World War. The mass expulsion of the enemy from the territory of the USSR began. The Battle of Kursk (1943) and access to the Dnieper completed a radical turning point in the course of the Great Patriotic War. The battle for the Dnieper (1943) overturned the enemy's plans for a protracted war.

At the end of October 1942, when the Wehrmacht was fighting fierce battles on the Soviet-German front, the Anglo-American troops intensified military operations in North Africa, conducting the El Alamein operation (1942) and the North African landing operation (1942). In the spring of 1943 they carried out the Tunisian operation. In July-August 1943, the Anglo-American troops, using the favorable situation (the main forces of the German troops participated in the Battle of Kursk), landed on the island of Sicily and captured it.

On July 25, 1943, the fascist regime in Italy collapsed; on September 3, it concluded a truce with the Allies. The withdrawal of Italy from the war marked the beginning of the disintegration of the fascist bloc. On October 13, Italy declared war on Germany. Nazi troops occupied its territory. In September, the Allies landed in Italy, but could not break the defense of the German troops and in December they suspended active operations. In the Pacific Ocean and in Asia, Japan sought to hold on to the territories captured in 1941-1942 without weakening the groupings near the borders of the USSR. The Allies, having launched an offensive in the Pacific Ocean in the autumn of 1942, captured the island of Guadalcanal (February 1943), landed on New Guinea, and liberated the Aleutian Islands.

Fourth period of the war (January 1, 1944 - May 9, 1945) began with a new offensive of the Red Army. As a result of the crushing blows of the Soviet troops, the Nazi invaders were expelled from the borders of the Soviet Union. During the subsequent offensive, the USSR Armed Forces carried out a liberation mission against the countries of Europe, played a decisive role with the support of their peoples in the liberation of Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria and other states. Anglo-American troops landed on June 6, 1944 in Normandy, opening a second front, and launched an offensive in Germany. In February, the Crimean (Yalta) Conference (1945) was held by the leaders of the USSR, the USA, Great Britain, which considered the issues of the post-war structure of the world and the participation of the USSR in the war with Japan.

In the winter of 1944-1945, on the Western Front, the Nazi troops inflicted a defeat on the Allied forces during the Ardennes operation. To alleviate the position of the allies in the Ardennes, at their request, the Red Army began its winter offensive ahead of schedule. Having restored the situation by the end of January, the Allied forces crossed the Rhine River during the Meuse-Rhine operation (1945), and in April they carried out the Ruhr operation (1945), which ended with the encirclement and capture of a large enemy grouping. During the North Italian operation (1945), the Allied forces, slowly moving north, with the help of Italian partisans, completely captured Italy in early May 1945. In the Pacific theater of operations, the allies carried out operations to defeat the Japanese fleet, liberated a number of islands occupied by Japan, approached Japan directly and cut off its communications with the countries of Southeast Asia.

In April-May 1945, the Soviet Armed Forces defeated the last groupings of Nazi troops in the Berlin operation (1945) and the Prague operation (1945) and met with the Allied forces. The war in Europe is over. On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered unconditionally. May 9, 1945 became Victory Day over Nazi Germany.

At the Berlin (Potsdam) conference (1945), the USSR confirmed its consent to enter the war with Japan. On August 6 and 9, 1945, for political purposes, the United States carried out atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On August 8, the USSR declared war on Japan and on August 9 began hostilities. During the Soviet-Japanese War (1945), Soviet troops, having defeated the Japanese Kwantung Army, eliminated the center of aggression in the Far East, liberated Northeast China, North Korea, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, thereby hastening the end of World War II. On September 2, Japan surrendered. World War II is over.

The Second World War was the largest military clash in the history of mankind. It lasted 6 years, there were 110 million people in the ranks of the Armed Forces. Over 55 million people died in World War II. The greatest victims were the Soviet Union, which lost 27 million people. The damage from the direct destruction and destruction of material assets on the territory of the USSR amounted to almost 41% of all countries participating in the war.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources