Great Patriotic War

On June 22, 1941, Germany and its allies treacherously attacked the USSR. By autumn, the enemy had captured significant territories, approached Moscow, and blocked Leningrad and Sevastopol. Despite the massive bombing, on November 7, 1941, a military parade took place on Red Square, from which the soldiers went straight to the front. Intelligence played a key role: Richard Sorge reported that Japan would not attack the USSR. This made it possible to transfer divisions from the Far East to Moscow. The railroad workers transported the armies in 10-20 days. Sorge was executed on November 7, 1944. In December 1941, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive, driving the enemy away from the capital. Plan Barbarossa failed.

In the south, the defense of Sevastopol lasted 250 days until July 1942. In December 1941, the Kerch-Feodosia operation became the largest amphibious assault of the war, allowing the liberation of the Kerch Peninsula and averting a threat to the Caucasus. The defense of the Adzhimushkai quarries ended tragically: about 15 thousand soldiers and civilians held the defense in the dungeons for months, dying from gas and hunger.

In 1942–1943, fierce battles took place near Rzhev. Holding the “gate to Moscow,” the Germans concentrated their best forces here. The Battle of Rzhev shackled Army Group Center, preventing it from being transferred to Stalingrad. In the summer of 1942, the enemy was eager for oil from Baku and the Volga. The Battle of Stalingrad ended with the defeat of the Paulus group and became a radical turning point. In the summer of 1943, the Battle of Kursk became the largest tank battle. After it, the Wehrmacht lost the ability to carry out strategic offensives. The Malaya Zemlya bridgehead near Novorossiysk played an important role in the battle for the Caucasus.

In November 1943, the Tehran Conference of the leaders of the USSR, USA and Great Britain approved the timing of the opening of a second front. On January 27, 1944, the siege of Leningrad, which lasted 872 days, was lifted. More than 630 thousand civilians died from hunger and disease. In the most difficult months, Leningraders received 125 grams of bread. The “Road of Life” on the ice of Ladoga and the railway “Road of Victory” have become symbols of perseverance.

Since 1944, the liberation mission of the Red Army in Europe began. Soviet troops liberated Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Poland. More than 1 million Soviet soldiers gave their lives for the liberation of Europe. As they entered enemy territory, fighters discovered the horrors of concentration camps such as Auschwitz, where 1.5 million people died. In the rear, the unity of the front and rear was ensured by the evacuation of industry to the east, organized by A.N. Kosygin.

May 9, 1945 became Victory Day. The USSR lost 27 million people, suffered colossal destruction, but survived. In August 1945, the Soviet army defeated the Japanese Kwantung Army. On September 2, 1945, Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender, ending World War II.

An important outcome was the Nuremberg Trials (1945–1946). At the initiative of the USSR, an international tribunal was created to punish Nazi criminals. 12 defendants were sentenced to death. The aggression was recognized as a crime against humanity, and the highest figures of the Reich were condemned. The openness of the trial allowed the world to know the truth about Nazi atrocities in the occupied territories.