June 22, 1941. 1st day of war

The day before, June 21, at 1 p.m. German troops received the pre-arranged signal "Dortmund". It meant that the Barbarossa offensive would begin the next day at 3:30 am.

On June 21, a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was held, after which an order (directive No. 1) of the USSR NGO was issued and transmitted to the western military districts on the night of June 22: “During June 22-23, 1941, a surprise attack by the Germans on the fronts is possible LVO, PribOVO, ZAPOVO, KOVO, OdVO... The task of our troops is not to succumb to any provocative actions... At the same time, the troops of the Leningrad, Baltic, Western, Kiev and Odessa military districts should be in full combat readiness to meet a possible sudden attack by the Germans or their allies.”

On the night of June 21–22, German saboteurs began operating on the territory of the USSR in the border zone, violating communication lines.

At 3 o'clock. 30 min. along the entire Western border of the USSR, the Germans began artillery and aviation preparations, after which German ground forces invaded the territory of the USSR. 15 minutes before, at 3 o'clock. 15 minutes, the Romanian Air Force launched air strikes on the border areas of the USSR.

At 4 o'clock. 10 min. The Western and Baltic special districts reported the start of hostilities by German troops on the ground sectors of the districts.

At 5:30 a.m. German Ambassador to the USSR Schulenburg handed over to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov a declaration of war. The same statement was made in Berlin to the USSR Ambassador to Germany Dekanozov.

At 7 o'clock 15 minutes. Directive No. 2 was issued, signed by Timoshenko, Malenkov and Zhukov: “On June 22, 1941, at 04:00 am, German aviation, without any reason, raided our airfields and cities along the western border and bombed them.
At the same time, in different places, German troops opened artillery fire and crossed our border... The troops should attack enemy forces with all their might and means and destroy them in areas where they violated the Soviet border.”

The Western border military districts of the USSR were transformed into fronts: the Baltic Special - into the North-Western Front, the Western Special - into the Western, the Kiev Special - into the South-Western.

Beginning of the defense of the Liepaja naval base.

In the evening, Directive No. 3 of the USSR NGO was issued, signed by Timoshenko, Malenkov, Zhukov, ordering the fronts to destroy the enemy with powerful counterattacks, “without regard to the state border.”

The offensive of the German troops took the enemy by surprise... we easily managed to capture bridges over water obstacles everywhere and break through the border line of fortifications to the full depth... After the initial "tetanus" caused by the surprise of the attack, the enemy moved on to active actions... Our advancing divisions were everywhere where the enemy tried to render resistance, threw it back and advanced with battle an average of 10-12 km! Thus, the way is open for moving connections.

June 23, 1941. 2nd day of war

• 2nd day of defense of the Brest Fortress.
• 2nd day of defense of the Liepaja naval base.
• 2nd day of border battles.

June 24, 1941. 3rd day of war

• 3rd day of defense of the Brest Fortress.
• 3rd day of defense of the Liepaja naval base.
• 3rd day of border battles.
• 2nd day of counterattacks by the Red Army on the Siauliai and Grodno directions.
• 2nd day of the tank battle in the Lutsk - Brody - Rivne area.

The Leningrad Military District was transformed into the Northern Front.

June 25, 1941. 4th day of war

• 4th day of defense of the Brest Fortress.
• 4th day of defense of the Liepaja naval base.
• 4th day of Border battles.
• 3rd, last, day of counterattacks of the Red Army in the Siauliai and Grodno directions.
• 3rd day of the tank battle in the Lutsk - Brody - Rivne area.

The air forces of the Northern Front and the aviation units of the Northern and Red Banner Baltic Fleets simultaneously attacked 19 Finnish airfields, where fascist German and Finnish aviation units were concentrated to operate against our targets. Having carried out about 250 sorties, Soviet pilots destroyed many enemy aircraft and other military equipment at airfields that day.

The Odessa Military District was transformed into the Southern Front.

On June 25, enemy mobile units developed an offensive in the Vilna and Baranovichi directions...

The enemy’s attempts to break through in the Brodsky and Lvov directions are met with strong opposition...

On the Bessarabian sector of the front, the Red Army troops firmly hold their positions...

An assessment of the situation in the morning generally confirms the conclusion that the Russians decided to conduct decisive battles in the border zone and were retreating only in certain sectors of the front, where they were forced to do so by the strong onslaught of our advancing troops.

June 26, 1941. 5th day of war

• 5th day of defense of the Brest Fortress.
• 5th day of defense of the Liepaja naval base.
• 5th day of Border battles.
• 4th day of the tank battle in the Lutsk - Brody - Rivne area.

During June 26, in the Minsk direction, our troops fought with infiltrated enemy tank units.

The fighting continues.

In the Lutsk direction, large and fierce tank battles are taking place throughout the day, with a clear advantage on the side of our troops...

Army Group South is slowly moving forward, unfortunately suffering significant losses. The enemy operating against Army Group South exhibits firm and energetic leadership...

On the front of Army Group Center, operations are progressing successfully. In the Slonim area, enemy resistance was broken...

Army Group North, encircling individual enemy groups, continues to systematically advance east.

June 27, 1941. 6th day of war

• 6th day of defense of the Brest Fortress.
• 6th and last day of defense of the Liepaja naval base.
• 6th day of Border battles.
• 5th day of the tank battle in the Lutsk - Brody - Rivne area.
• 2nd day of defense of the naval base on the Hanko Peninsula.

During the day, our troops in the Shauliai, Vilna and Baranovichi directions continued to retreat to positions prepared for defense, stopping for battle at intermediate lines...
Along the entire section of the front from Przemysl to the Black Sea, our troops firmly hold the state border.

June 28, 1941. 7th day of war

• 7th day of defense of the Brest Fortress.
• 7th day of Border battles.
• 6th day of the tank battle in the Lutsk - Brody - Rivne area.
• 3rd day of defense of the naval base on the Hanko Peninsula.

...In the Lutsk direction, a major tank battle unfolded during the day, in which up to 4,000 tanks from both sides took part. The tank battle continues.
In the Lvov area there are stubborn, intense battles with the enemy, during which our troops inflict a significant defeat on him...

June 29, 1941. 8th day of war

• 8th day of defense of the Brest Fortress.
• 8th, last day of the Border Battles.
• 7th, last day of the tank battle in the Lutsk - Brody - Rivne area.
• 4th day of defense of the naval base on the Hanko Peninsula.

German and Finnish troops went on the offensive in the Murmansk direction.

A strategic defensive operation began in the Arctic and Karelia.

On June 29, Finnish-German troops went on the offensive along the entire front from the Barents Sea to the Gulf of Finland...

In the Vilna-Dvina direction, attempts by enemy mobile units to influence the flanks and rear of our troops, retreating to new positions as a result of battles in the Siauliai, Keidany, Panevezh, Kaunas area, were not successful...
In the Lutsk direction, the battle of large tank masses continues...

The Germans pursued the goal of disrupting the deployment of our troops in a few days and capturing Kyiv and Smolensk with a lightning strike within a week. However... our troops still managed to turn around, and the so-called lightning strike on Kyiv and Smolensk was thwarted...

Heavy fighting is still ongoing on the Army Group South front. On the right flank of the 1st Panzer Group, the 8th Russian Tank Corps was deeply wedged into our position... This penetration of the enemy obviously caused great confusion in our rear in the area between Brody and Dubno... Separate groups are also operating in the rear of the 1st Panzer Group enemy with tanks, which even advance over considerable distances... The situation in the Dubno area is very tense...

In the center of the Army Group Center zone, our completely mixed divisions are making every effort not to let the enemy, who is desperately fighting his way in all directions, out of the inner ring of encirclement...

On the front of Army Group North, our troops systematically continue their offensive in the planned directions towards the Western Dvina. All available crossings were captured by our troops... Only part of the enemy troops managed to escape from the threat of encirclement in the eastern direction through the lake region between Dvinsk and Minsk to Polotsk.

June 30, 1941. 9th day of war

• 9th day of defense of the Brest Fortress.
• 5th day of defense of the naval base on the Hanko Peninsula.
• 2nd day of the strategic defensive operation in the Arctic and Karelia.

The formation of the people's militia began in Leningrad.

All power in the USSR passes to the newly formed State Defense Committee (GKO) consisting of: Stalin (chairman), Molotov (deputy chairman), Beria, Voroshilov, Malenkov.

In the Vilna-Dvina direction, our troops are fighting fierce battles with enemy motorized units...
In the Minsk and Baranovichi directions, our troops are fighting stubborn battles with the superior forces of the enemy’s mobile forces, delaying their advance at intermediate lines...

In general, operations continue to develop successfully on the fronts of all army groups. Only on the front of Army Group "Center" did part of the encircled enemy group break through between Minsk and Slonim through the front of Guderian's tank group... On the front of Army Group "North" the enemy launched a counterattack in the Riga area and penetrated our position... An increase in enemy aviation activity was noted in front of the front Army Group "South" and in front of the Romanian front... On the enemy side there are already completely outdated types of four-engine aircraft.

Sources

• 1941 - M.: MF "Democracy", 1998
• History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945. Volume 2. - M.: Voenizdat, 1961
• Franz Halder. War diary. 1941-1942. - M.: AST, 2003
• Zhukov G.K. Memories and reflections. 1985. In 3 volumes.
• Isaev A.V. From Dubno to Rostov. - M.: AST; Transitbook, 2004

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. The portal "History.RF" reminds how it was...

IN 00:30 Directive No. 1 was transmitted to the western military districts: “During June 22-23, 1941, a surprise attack by the Germans is possible. The troops of the Leningrad, Baltic, Western, Kyiv and Odessa Military Districts must be in full combat readiness."

"IN 3:15 Our artillery preparation began. IN 3:40 - the first raid of our dive bombers,” Guderian

General Blumentritt: "In 3 hours 30 minutes all our artillery opened fire... And then something happened that seemed like a miracle, the Russian artillery did not respond. There was no doubt that the Russians were taken by surprise."

04:06 - order from the chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet, Eliseev, to open fire on German planes. First battle order.

"IN 4:15 the forward units of the 17th and 18th Panzer Divisions began crossing the Bug,” Guderian

“Morning reports report that all armies except the 11th have gone on the offensive according to plan,” Halder’s diary

Hitler, in an address to the German people on the radio, announced the beginning of war with the USSR. Together with Germany, Romania and Italy declared war on the USSR. Hitler, in his address to the people, made it clear that Germany was “in alliance with the Finnish comrades.”

4:15 . The first air ram was carried out by the commander of the 124th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Junior Lieutenant D. Kokorev.

4:25 - the air ram was carried out by pilot I.I. Ivanov.

5:15 - pilot L. Butelin rammed the enemy.

Flight commander of the 123rd Fighter Aviation Regiment P. Ryabtsev carried out an aerial ram in the sky over the Brest Fortress.

05:25 . “Raise the troops and act in combat,” - order of the commander of the Western OVO Pavlov

Official note from Germany. Ambassador Schulenburg handed over to People's Commissar Molotov only at 5.30, when the German columns were already moving east. A note from the German Foreign Ministry with accusations: “Bolshevik Moscow is ready to stab National Socialist Germany in the back. The Fuhrer gave the order to the armed forces to ward off this threat with all their might and means.”

Zhukov's operational report No. 1. "IN 4.00 . The Germans, without any reason, raided our airfields and cities and crossed the border. The enemy, having forestalled our troops in deployment, forced units of the Red Army to take up battle in the process of occupying their starting position.”

7:15 . Directive No. 2: “The troops will attack enemy forces with all their might and means and destroy them in areas where they violated the Soviet border” - Timoshenko, Malenkov, Zhukov. Soviet Command Directive No. 2 requires border fronts to defeat invading enemy units, but not to cross the border

The beginning of the heroic defense of the garrison of the Brest Fortress. In the morning the Germans broke into the fortress, but were driven out by a bayonet attack.

Many border posts are surrounded by the enemy, but they fight to the last bullet. Outpost of the 9th Brest border detachment st. Lieutenant Kizhevatova did not let the attacking Germans through. Sov. the warriors went into hand-to-hand combat and almost all died

IN 10:00 General Pavlov asked the commander of the 3rd Army, Kuznetsov: “Tell me, where is your artillery?” Having learned that Kuznetsov did not send artillery to the rear, Pavlov said: “Thank God, there was at least one quick-witted person.”

During the day, to the sound of a march, the Soviet 48th Infantry Division advanced to the front in the region of Rossieni (Raseiniai), but was suddenly attacked by aircraft, suffered heavy losses and, before reaching the border, was defeated

12:00 . Molotov's radio address on behalf of the government about Germany's unprovoked aggression. “Without a declaration of war, German troops attacked our country.” Molotov’s speech ended with the words: “Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours"

TO 12:00 P. Gudz's detachment (7 tanks) had already knocked out 5 German tanks, 3 armored personnel carriers and several vehicles.

The first tank ram. The KB, under the control of Galkin, struck the track of an enemy tank and knocked it into a ditch.

The 636th Anti-Tank Regiment southwest of Siauliai destroyed 59 German tanks and assault guns during the day of battle.

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the announcement of the mobilization of military personnel of 14 ages in 14 military districts from June 23.

Decree “On announcement in the department. areas of the USSR under martial law" - western regions of the USSR, Moscow, Leningrad.

Western military districts were renamed into fronts - North-Western (Kuznetsov), Western (Pavlov), South-Western (Kirponos)

British Prime Minister Churchill, on behalf of his country, announced support for the USSR in the war against Germany and its allies

The locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Sergius, addressed the “shepherds and flock” with a patriotic message

In the evening - order com. Western French Pavlova: “The experience of the first day of the war shows the disorganization and carelessness of many commanders. Commanders begin to think about providing shells only when they are running low. Meanwhile, a huge mass of vehicles is busy evacuating the families of commanding officers.”

On the very first day of fighting, the Western Front Air Force lost 738 aircraft - most at airfields.

In the evening. Directive No. 3 from Moscow demands the unrealistic - a transition to a decisive offensive against the enemy.

To coordinate the actions of Soviet troops, senior commanders were sent to the front from Moscow; to the Southwestern Front - G.K. Zhukov.

There were still 1417 days left before the Great Victory...

June 21, 1941, 13:00. German troops receive the code signal "Dortmund", confirming that the invasion will begin the next day.

Commander of the 2nd Tank Group of Army Group Center Heinz Guderian writes in his diary: “Careful observation of the Russians convinced me that they did not suspect anything about our intentions. In the courtyard of the Brest fortress, which was visible from our observation points, they were changing the guards to the sounds of an orchestra. The coastal fortifications along the Western Bug were not occupied by Russian troops."

21:00. Soldiers of the 90th border detachment of the Sokal commandant's office detained a German serviceman who crossed the border Bug River by swimming. The defector was sent to the detachment headquarters in the city of Vladimir-Volynsky.

23:00. German minelayers stationed in Finnish ports began to mine the exit from the Gulf of Finland. At the same time, Finnish submarines began laying mines off the coast of Estonia.

June 22, 1941, 0:30. The defector was taken to Vladimir-Volynsky. During interrogation, the soldier identified himself Alfred Liskov, soldiers of the 221st Regiment of the 15th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht. He said that at dawn on June 22, the German army would go on the offensive along the entire length of the Soviet-German border. The information was transferred to higher command.

At the same time, the transmission of Directive No. 1 of the People's Commissariat of Defense for parts of the western military districts began from Moscow. “During June 22 - 23, 1941, a surprise attack by the Germans on the fronts of LVO, PribOVO, ZAPOVO, KOVO, OdVO is possible. An attack may begin with provocative actions,” the directive said. “The task of our troops is not to succumb to any provocative actions that could cause major complications.”

The units were ordered to be put on combat readiness, to secretly occupy firing points of fortified areas on the state border, and to disperse aircraft to field airfields.

It is not possible to convey the directive to military units before the start of hostilities, as a result of which the measures specified in it are not carried out.

“I realized that it was the Germans who opened fire on our territory”

1:00. The commandants of the sections of the 90th border detachment report to the head of the detachment, Major Bychkovsky: “nothing suspicious was noticed on the adjacent side, everything is calm.”

3:05 . A group of 14 German Ju-88 bombers drops 28 magnetic mines near the Kronstadt roadstead.

3:07. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky, reports to the Chief of the General Staff, General Zhukov: “The fleet's air surveillance, warning and communications system reports the approach of a large number of unknown aircraft from the sea; The fleet is in full combat readiness."

3:10. The NKGB for the Lviv region transmits by telephone message to the NKGB of the Ukrainian SSR the information obtained during the interrogation of the defector Alfred Liskov.

Mobilization. Columns of fighters are moving to the front. Moscow, June 23, 1941. Anatoly Garanin/RIA Novosti

From the memoirs of the chief of the 90th border detachment, Major Bychkovsky: “Without finishing the interrogation of the soldier, I heard strong artillery fire in the direction of Ustilug (the first commandant’s office). I realized that it was the Germans who opened fire on our territory, which was immediately confirmed by the interrogated soldier. I immediately began to call the commandant by phone, but the connection was broken..."

3:30. Chief of Staff of the Western District General Klimovsky reports on enemy air raids on the cities of Belarus: Brest, Grodno, Lida, Kobrin, Slonim, Baranovichi and others.

3:33. The chief of staff of the Kyiv district, General Purkaev, reports on an air raid on the cities of Ukraine, including Kyiv.

3:40. Commander of the Baltic Military District General Kuznetsov reports on enemy air raids on Riga, Siauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas and other cities.

“The enemy raid has been repulsed. An attempt to strike our ships was foiled."

3:42. Chief of the General Staff Zhukov is calling Stalin and reports the start of hostilities by Germany. Stalin orders Tymoshenko and Zhukov arrive at the Kremlin, where an emergency meeting of the Politburo is convened.

3:45. The 1st border outpost of the 86th August border detachment was attacked by an enemy reconnaissance and sabotage group. Outpost personnel under command Alexandra Sivacheva, having entered into battle, destroys the attackers.

4:00. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky, reports to Zhukov: “The enemy raid has been repulsed. An attempt to strike our ships was foiled. But there is destruction in Sevastopol.”

4:05. The outposts of the 86th August Border Detachment, including the 1st Border Outpost of Senior Lieutenant Sivachev, come under heavy artillery fire, after which the German offensive begins. Border guards, deprived of communication with the command, engage in battle with superior enemy forces.

4:10. The Western and Baltic special military districts report the beginning of hostilities by German troops on the ground.

4:15. The Nazis open massive artillery fire on the Brest Fortress. As a result, warehouses were destroyed, communications were disrupted, and there were a large number of dead and wounded.

4:25. The 45th Wehrmacht Infantry Division begins an attack on the Brest Fortress.

The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Residents of the capital on June 22, 1941, during the radio announcement of a government message about the treacherous attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union. Evgeniy Khaldey/RIA Novosti

“Protecting not individual countries, but ensuring the security of Europe”

4:30. A meeting of Politburo members begins in the Kremlin. Stalin expresses doubt that what happened is the beginning of a war and does not exclude the possibility of a German provocation. People's Commissar of Defense Timoshenko and Zhukov insist: this is war.

4:55. In the Brest Fortress, the Nazis manage to capture almost half of the territory. Further progress was stopped by a sudden counterattack by the Red Army.

5:00. German Ambassador to the USSR Count von Schulenburg presented to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR Molotov“Note from the German Foreign Office to the Soviet Government,” which states: “The German Government cannot remain indifferent to the serious threat on the eastern border, therefore the Fuehrer has ordered the German Armed Forces to ward off this threat by all means.” An hour after the actual start of hostilities, Germany de jure declares war on the Soviet Union.

5:30. On German radio, the Reich Minister of Propaganda Goebbels reads out the appeal Adolf Hitler to the German people in connection with the start of the war against the Soviet Union: “Now the hour has come when it is necessary to speak out against this conspiracy of the Jewish-Anglo-Saxon warmongers and also the Jewish rulers of the Bolshevik center in Moscow... At the moment, a military action of the greatest extent and volume is taking place, what the world has ever seen... The task of this front is no longer to protect individual countries, but to ensure the security of Europe and thereby save everyone.”

7:00. Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs Ribbentrop begins a press conference at which he announces the beginning of hostilities against the USSR: “The German army has invaded the territory of Bolshevik Russia!”

“The city is burning, why aren’t you broadcasting anything on the radio?”

7:15. Stalin approves a directive to repel the attack of Nazi Germany: “The troops with all their might and means attack enemy forces and destroy them in areas where they violated the Soviet border.” Transfer of “directive No. 2” due to saboteurs’ disruption of communication lines in the western districts. Moscow does not have a clear picture of what is happening in the combat zone.

9:30. It was decided that at noon, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov would address the Soviet people in connection with the outbreak of war.

10:00. From the speaker's memories Yuri Levitan: “They’re calling from Minsk: “Enemy planes are over the city,” they’re calling from Kaunas: “The city is burning, why aren’t you broadcasting anything on the radio?” “Enemy planes are over Kiev.” A woman’s crying, excitement: “Is it really war?..” However, no official messages are transmitted until 12:00 Moscow time on June 22.

10:30. From a report from the headquarters of the 45th German division about the battles on the territory of the Brest Fortress: “The Russians are resisting fiercely, especially behind our attacking companies. In the citadel, the enemy organized a defense with infantry units supported by 35–40 tanks and armored vehicles. Enemy sniper fire resulted in heavy casualties among officers and non-commissioned officers."

11:00. The Baltic, Western and Kiev special military districts were transformed into the North-Western, Western and South-Western fronts.

“The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours"

12:00. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov reads out an appeal to the citizens of the Soviet Union: “Today at 4 o’clock in the morning, without making any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed us with our cities - Zhitomir, Kiev, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others - with their planes, and more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Raids by enemy planes and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory... Now that the attack on the Soviet Union has already taken place, the Soviet government has given an order to our troops to repel the bandit attack and expel German troops from the territory of our homeland... The government calls on you, citizens and citizens of the Soviet Union, to rally our ranks even more closely around our glorious Bolshevik Party, around our Soviet government, around our great leader, Comrade Stalin.

Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours".

12:30. Advanced German units break into the Belarusian city of Grodno.

13:00. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issues a decree “On the mobilization of those liable for military service...”
“Based on Article 49, paragraph “o” of the USSR Constitution, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR announces mobilization on the territory of the military districts - Leningrad, Baltic special, Western special, Kiev special, Odessa, Kharkov, Oryol, Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Ural, Siberian, Volga, North -Caucasian and Transcaucasian.

Those liable for military service who were born from 1905 to 1918 inclusive are subject to mobilization. The first day of mobilization is June 23, 1941.” Despite the fact that the first day of mobilization is June 23, recruiting stations at military registration and enlistment offices begin to operate by the middle of the day on June 22.

13:30. Chief of the General Staff General Zhukov flies to Kyiv as a representative of the newly created Headquarters of the Main Command on the Southwestern Front.

June 22, 1945 meeting of the Normandy-Niemen regiment at Le Bourget airfield (France). From left to right: engineer-captain Nikolai Filippov, major Pierre Matras, engineer-major Sergei Agavelyan, captain De Saint-Marceau Gaston and others. Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. RIA Novosti/RIA Novosti

14:00. The Brest Fortress is completely surrounded by German troops. Soviet units blocked in the citadel continue to offer fierce resistance.

14:05. Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano states: “In view of the current situation, due to the fact that Germany declared war on the USSR, Italy, as an ally of Germany and as a member of the Tripartite Pact, also declares war on the Soviet Union from the moment German troops entered Soviet territory.”

14:10. The 1st border outpost of Alexander Sivachev has been fighting for more than 10 hours. The border guards, who had only small arms and grenades, destroyed up to 60 Nazis and burned three tanks. The wounded commander of the outpost continued to command the battle.

15:00. From the notes of the commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal von Bock: “The question of whether the Russians are carrying out a systematic withdrawal remains open. There is now plenty of evidence both for and against this.

What is surprising is that nowhere is any significant work of their artillery visible. Heavy artillery fire is conducted only in the northwest of Grodno, where the VIII Army Corps is advancing. Apparently, our air force has an overwhelming superiority over Russian aviation."

Of the 485 border posts attacked, not a single one withdrew without orders.

16:00. After a 12-hour battle, the Nazis took the positions of the 1st border outpost. This became possible only after all the border guards who defended it died. The head of the outpost, Alexander Sivachev, was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.

The feat of the outpost of Senior Lieutenant Sivachev was one of hundreds committed by border guards in the first hours and days of the war. On June 22, 1941, the state border of the USSR from the Barents to the Black Sea was guarded by 666 border outposts, 485 of which were attacked on the very first day of the war. Not one of the 485 outposts attacked on June 22 withdrew without orders.

Hitler's command allotted 20 minutes to break the resistance of the border guards. 257 Soviet border posts held their defense from several hours to one day. More than one day - 20, more than two days - 16, more than three days - 20, more than four and five days - 43, from seven to nine days - 4, more than eleven days - 51, more than twelve days - 55, more than 15 days - 51 outpost. Forty-five outposts fought for up to two months.

06/22/1941 Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The workers of Leningrad listen to a message about the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union. Boris Losin/RIA Novosti

Of the 19,600 border guards who met the Nazis on June 22 in the direction of the main attack of Army Group Center, more than 16,000 died in the first days of the war.

17:00. Hitler's units manage to occupy the southwestern part of the Brest Fortress, the northeast remained under the control of Soviet troops. Stubborn battles for the fortress will continue for weeks.

“The Church of Christ blesses all Orthodox Christians for the defense of the sacred borders of our Motherland”

18:00. The Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow and Kolomna, addresses the believers with a message: “Fascist robbers attacked our homeland. Trampling all kinds of agreements and promises, they suddenly fell upon us, and now the blood of peaceful citizens is already irrigating our native land... Our Orthodox Church has always shared the fate of the people. She endured trials with him and was consoled by his successes. She will not abandon her people even now... The Church of Christ blesses all Orthodox Christians for the defense of the sacred borders of our Motherland.”

19:00. From the notes of the Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht Ground Forces, Colonel General Franz Halder: “All armies, except the 11th Army of Army Group South in Romania, went on the offensive according to plan. The offensive of our troops, apparently, came as a complete tactical surprise to the enemy along the entire front. Border bridges across the Bug and other rivers were everywhere captured by our troops without a fight and in complete safety. The complete surprise of our offensive for the enemy is evidenced by the fact that the units were taken by surprise in a barracks arrangement, the planes were parked at airfields, covered with tarpaulins, and the advanced units, suddenly attacked by our troops, asked the command about what to do... The Air Force command reported, that today 850 enemy aircraft have been destroyed, including entire squadrons of bombers, which, having taken off without fighter cover, were attacked by our fighters and destroyed.”

20:00. Directive No. 3 of the People's Commissariat of Defense was approved, ordering Soviet troops to launch a counteroffensive with the task of defeating Hitler's troops on the territory of the USSR with further advance into enemy territory. The directive ordered the capture of the Polish city of Lublin by the end of June 24.

06/22/1941 Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. June 22, 1941 Nurses provide assistance to the first wounded after a Nazi air raid near Chisinau. Georgy Zelma/RIA Novosti

“We must provide Russia and the Russian people with all the help we can.”

21:00. Summary of the Red Army High Command for June 22: “At dawn on June 22, 1941, regular troops of the German army attacked our border units on the front from the Baltic to the Black Sea and were held back by them during the first half of the day. In the afternoon, German troops met with the advanced units of the field troops of the Red Army. After fierce fighting, the enemy was repulsed with heavy losses. Only in the Grodno and Kristinopol directions did the enemy manage to achieve minor tactical successes and occupy the towns of Kalwaria, Stoyanuv and Tsekhanovets (the first two are 15 km and the last 10 km from the border).

Enemy aircraft attacked a number of our airfields and populated areas, but everywhere they met decisive resistance from our fighters and anti-aircraft artillery, which inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. We shot down 65 enemy aircraft.”

23:00. Message from the Prime Minister of Great Britain Winston Churchill to the British people in connection with the German attack on the USSR: “At 4 o'clock this morning Hitler attacked Russia. All his usual formalities of treachery were observed with scrupulous precision... suddenly, without a declaration of war, even without an ultimatum, German bombs fell from the sky on Russian cities, German troops violated Russian borders, and an hour later the German ambassador, who just the day before had generously lavished his assurances on the Russians in friendship and almost an alliance, paid a visit to the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs and declared that Russia and Germany were at war...

No one has been more staunchly opposed to communism over the past 25 years than I have been. I will not take back a single word that was said about him. But all this pales in comparison to the spectacle unfolding now.

The past, with its crimes, follies and tragedies, recedes. I see Russian soldiers as they stand on the border of their native land and guard the fields that their fathers have plowed since time immemorial. I see them guarding their homes; their mothers and wives pray - oh, yes, because at such a time everyone prays for the preservation of their loved ones, for the return of their breadwinner, patron, their protectors...

We must provide Russia and the Russian people with all the help we can. We must call on all our friends and allies in all parts of the world to pursue a similar course and pursue it as steadfastly and steadily as we will, to the very end.”

June 22 came to an end. There were still 1,417 days ahead of the worst war in human history.

On Sunday, June 22, 1941, at dawn, the troops of Nazi Germany, without declaring war, suddenly attacked the entire western border of the Soviet Union and bombed Soviet cities and military formations.

Operation Barbarossa - a plan for the invasion and capture of the USSR - was developed by German generals under the leadership of Paulus on July 21, 1940. The operation was based on waging a “lightning war” - “blitzkrieg”. Hitler's strategists planned to defeat the Soviet Union in a short campaign and end the war by the fall of 1941. They hoped to quickly capture the most important industrial and political centers and annex the entire European part of the Union to Germany. The rulers of Nazi Germany were convinced of the fragility of the Soviet state and had no doubt about a quick victory, polk.inter.ua reports.

And so on June 22, 1941 at 3:00 (Moscow time) German aircraft invaded the airspace of the Soviet Union; fascist troops launched a powerful artillery strike on the border fortified areas. Thousands of tons of deadly cargo fell on airfields, railways, naval bases, communication lines, warehouses for military equipment and ammunition, and on sleeping Soviet cities. Riga, Kaunas, Vilnius, Grodno, Zhitomir, Kyiv, Sevastopol and many other cities were bombed by aviation; There was artillery shelling of border fortifications and areas of deployment of Soviet troops near the border from the Baltic to the Black Sea. At 5-6 o'clock in the morning, German troops crossed the state border of the USSR and launched an offensive into the interior of the territory.

Kyiv began to be bombed at about 4 a.m.: factories, military airfields, bridges. During the first raid, 25 people were killed and 76 were injured. By 10 am, the railway station, the Bolshevik plant, military airfields, power plants and an aircraft factory were destroyed.

Hurricane artillery fire was opened on the Brest Fortress at dawn, taking the garrison by surprise. As a result, warehouses were destroyed, the water supply was damaged, communications were interrupted, and major losses were inflicted on the garrison. At 3:23 the assault began. Up to one and a half thousand infantry from three battalions of the 45th Infantry Division attacked the fortress directly. By 2 p.m., the Brest Fortress was completely surrounded by German troops, after an almost 8-hour battle, the 1st border outpost of Alexander Sivachev surrendered, 485 of the 666 Soviet outposts were captured, but not a single one of them retreated without an order. Of the 19,600 border guards who met the Nazis on June 22 in the direction of the main attack of Army Group Center, more than 16,000 died in the first days of the war.

In the morning, German aircraft dealt crushing blows to USSR air bases. During the first hours of the war, 1,200 aircraft were destroyed at 66 bases, most of them - more than 800 - right on the ground. At the same time, the first German aircraft was destroyed in an air battle in the first hour of the war.

Meanwhile, at 12 o’clock, People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs V. Molotov makes a speech on Soviet radio about the beginning of the war: “Today at 4 o’clock in the morning, without making any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed our cities from their planes - Zhitomir, Kiev, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others, and more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Raids by enemy planes and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory... Now that the attack on the Soviet Union has already taken place, the Soviet government gave an order to our troops to repel the predatory attack and expel German troops from the territory of our homeland...

"Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours."

Already by 17:00, Germany unleashed a blow of unprecedented power on the territory of the Soviet Union: more than four thousand tanks, 47 thousand guns and mortars, up to 190 divisions, 5 million infantrymen. During the first day of the war, Wehrmacht troops advanced along the entire border 50-60 km deep into the territory of the USSR.

Despite the most difficult conditions of military operations, the defenders of the Fatherland showed courage and heroism from the very first days of the war. The retreat of Soviet troops was accompanied by fierce fighting.

Thus ended the first day of the Great Patriotic War. And there were still 1417 days and nights of the most terrible war in history...