On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany, dreaming of the world domination and revenge for the defeat in the First World War, launched military operations against Poland. Since the Second World War, it was the largest military clash of the century. On the eve of these events, the USSR and Germany signed treaties on non-aggression and friendship. There existed also secret protocols, which involved information about the division of spheres of influence between the two countries, the contents of which became known to the public only after four decades.
Signed documents promised benefits to both parties. Germany would secure its eastern borders and could easily carry out military operations in the West; the Soviet Union would be relatively safe at its western borders and could concentrate military power in the East (Harrison, 2000). Dividing the German sphere of influence in Europe, the Soviet Union signed agreements with the Baltic states, in the territory of which there was soon introduced the Red Army. Together with the Western Ukraine and Western Belarus and Bessarabia, these lands soon became part of the Soviet Union.
As a result of hostilities with Finland, which took place from 30 November 1939 to March 1940, the Soviet Union withdrew the Karelian Isthmus with the city of Vyborg and the northern coast of Lake Ladoga. The League of Nations, defining these actions as aggression, excluded the Soviet Union from its ranks. Short military clash with Finland revealed serious shortcomings in the organization of the Armed Forces of the USSR, in the level of technology available to them, as well as training of the officers. Due to mass repressions, many positions among officers were occupied by specialists who did not have the necessary training.
Activities to strengthen the defense capability of the Soviet state
In March 1939, the XVIII Congress of the CPSU adopted the fourth five-year plan, involving a grand, difficult to achieve economic growth. The focus of the plan was drawn to the development of heavy engineering, defense, metallurgical and chemical industries, the increase in industrial production in the Ural and Siberia. Sharply increases the cost of production of weapons and other defense products.
Industrial enterprises introduced more rigid labor discipline. Lateness for work for more than 20 minutes brought about criminal punishment. The country has introduced the seven-day working week. Military and political leadership of the country did not all possible in the strategic plan. There was insufficiently analyzed experience of military operations, many talented commanders of higher rank and the largest military theorists were repressed. In the military environment of Stalin, there prevailed the opinion that the coming war for the Soviet Union would only be offensive in nature, as military action will only be in a foreign land.
During this period, scientists have developed new types of weapons that were soon to enter the Red Army. However, by the beginning of the World War II, this process has not been completed. Many models of new equipment and weapons lacked spare parts, and the armed forces adequately have not yet mastered new types of weapons.
Start of the World War II
In the spring of 1940, the German military command has developed a plan of attack on the Soviet Union: the army of the Reich had lightning strike tank groups in the North (Leningrad - Karelia), the center (Minsk-Moscow) and the South (Ukraine, the Caucasus, the Lower Volga) to split the Red Army before the onset of winter.
Only around midnight of June 21, 1941, People's Commissar of Defense SK Timoshenko and Chief of General Staff Zhukov gave the order to bring the troops of the western military districts on full alert (Zweynert, 2006). However, the directive came into some military units already in the moment when the bombing started. In full combat readiness was given only the Baltic Fleet, which met a fitting rebuff to the aggressor.
Guerilla war
During the World War II, there unfolded nationwide guerrilla warfare. Gradually the partisans involved soldiers and commanders of units and formations surrounded. In the spring of 1942, there was established in Moscow Central Headquarters of the partisan movement. With the expansion of the Red Army, offensive operations were increasingly carried out by joint operations of guerrilla and regular army units.
As a result of the operation "rail war", partisan unions, disabling railways violated the movement of enemy forces, causing substantial material damage to the enemy. By the beginning of 1944, a large number of partisan detachments poured into the army units. The leaders of guerrilla groups Kovpak, Fedorov were twice awarded with the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
Together with the guerrillas, there were active underground groups. They organized sabotages, conducted explanatory work among the inhabitants of the occupied areas. Numerous details on the location of the enemy military units, thanks to the actions of the underground, became the property of the Army Intelligence.
The heroic work of the rear
Despite the sudden invasion of the enemy, because of clear organization and heroism of millions of citizens of the country, within a short time, it managed to evacuate a large number of industrial enterprises in the East. The main industrial production was concentrated in the center and in the Ural. There was forged victory.
Just a few months it took to not only start production of defense products in new areas, but also to achieve high productivity (English, 2000). By 1943, the Soviet military production by quantitative and qualitative indicators significantly exceeded the German. There was established large-scale production of medium tanks T-34, heavy tanks KV, Il-2 and other military equipment. These successes were achieved due to selfless labor of workers and peasants, most of whom were women, old and young. There was highly patriotic spirit of the people who believed in victory.
The liberation of the territory of the USSR and Eastern Europe from fascism
In January 1944, as a result of the successful operation of the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic fronts, there was lifted the blockade of Leningrad. In the winter of 1944, due to the efforts of three Ukrainian Fronts, there was liberated Right-Bank Ukraine, and by the end of spring has been completely restored the western border of the USSR. In such circumstances, in the early summer of 1944 in Europe, there opened the second front.
GHQ developed grandiose and good tactical ideas plan for the full liberation of Soviet territory and the entry of the Red Army in Eastern Europe with a view to its liberation from fascist enslavement. It was preceded by one of the major offensive operations - Belarus, which received the code name of "Bagration". As a result of the onset, the Soviet Army came to the outskirts of Warsaw, and stood on the right bank of the Vistula. At this time in Warsaw, there was popular uprising, brutally suppressed by the Nazis.
In September and October 1944, there were released Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. In the war operation of the Soviet troops took an active part partisan units of these states, which then formed the basis of their national armed forces (Cornia & Kiiski, 2001). Fierce fighting broke out for the release of land in Hungary, where there was a large group of Nazi troops, especially in the area of Lake Balaton. Two months besieged by Soviet troops in Budapest, whose garrison surrendered only in February 1945, only to the middle, in April 1945 in Hungary was completely liberated.
Under the sign of victory of the Soviet Army, from 4 to 11 February in Yalta, conference was held of the leaders of the USSR, the United States and England, where they discussed issues of post-war reconstruction of the world. Among them, there was the establishment of the borders of Poland, the recognition of the requirements of the USSR on reparations, the question of the USSR joining the war against Japan, the consent of the Allied Powers to join the Soviet Union Kuril Islands and southern Sakhalin.
On April 16 - May 2 took place the Berlin operation - the last major battle of World War II. It took place in several stages: taking Seelow Heights; fights in the outskirts of Berlin; attack of the central, most fortified part of the city. On May 2, there was the surrender of the Berlin garrison. On May 9 - the liberation of Prague tank units of the Red Army. On the night before May 9, in the Berlin suburb Karls-Horst was signed the act of unconditional surrender of Germany. May 9 was proclaimed a national holiday - Victory Day.
On July 17 - August 2 there was held the Potsdam Conference of Heads of State - members of the anti-Hitler coalition. The main issue was the fate of post-war Germany. There was created the Control Council - a joint body of the USSR, the US, Britain and France for the supreme power in Germany during its occupation. It paid particular attention to the Polish-German border. Germany was subject to full demilitarization, activities of the Social Nazi Party were banned. Stalin confirmed the readiness of the USSR to take part in the war against Japan.
President of the United States, who received before the beginning of the conference the positive results of the testing of nuclear weapons, began to pressure the Soviet Union. There accelerated work on the creation of nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union. On August 6 and 9 were subjected to US nuclear bombing two Japanese cities - Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which had no strategic importance. The act was wearing a precautionary-threatening character, especially for Russia (Pells, 2008).
On the night of August 9, 1945, the Soviet Union launched military operations against Japan. There were formed three fronts: the Trans-Baikal and two Far East. In conjunction with the Pacific Fleet and Amur Flotilla, there was defeated an elite Japanese Kwantung Army and liberated North China, North Korea, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. On September 2, 1945, with signing on the US warship "Missouri" an Instrument of Surrender of Japan ended World War II.
Results of the War
Of 50 million human lives lost in World War II, about 30 million accounted for the Soviet Union. There were huge material losses for the state. All forces were thrown on to the victory. Considerable economic assistance provided to countries - participants of the anti-Hitler coalition. During the war, there was born a new galaxy of generals. It was rightly led by four times Hero of the Soviet Union, Deputy Supreme Commander Georgy Zhukov, twice awarded the Order of the Victory.
Among the famous generals of World War II, there are Rokossovsky, Vasilevsky, Konev and other talented commanders who had to be responsible for the wrong strategic decisions taken by the political leadership of the country and personally Stalin, especially in the first, most difficult period of the war.
Military and political results and lessons of the World War II are huge. First, the victory of the peoples of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany had a world-historical significance. It had a considerable impact on all post-war development of humanity. It protected the honor and dignity, national statehood and independence of the multinational Soviet Union, including the multinational Russian Federation. Humankind was saved from the threat of fascist enslavement. The Armed Forces of the USSR saved the world, civilization, helped many nations in Europe and Asia in the liberation from oppressors. The defeat of German fascism and Japanese militarism led to the fall of the reactionary regimes in a number of countries in Europe and Asia, created favorable conditions for the workers' struggle for peace and democracy throughout the world, for their social and national liberation. It strengthened the position of progressive, democratic, peace-loving forces; accelerated the process of disintegration of the colonial system.
References
English, R. D. (2000). Russia and the Idea of the West: Gorbachev, Intellectuals, and the End of the Cold War. Columbia University Press.
Harrison, M. (Ed.). (2000). The economics of World War II: six great powers in international comparison. Cambridge University Press.
Cornia, G. A., & Kiiski, S. (2001). Trends in income distribution in the post-World War II period: Evidence and interpretation (No. 2001/89). WIDER Discussion Papers//World Institute for Development Economics (UNU-WIDER).
Pells, R. (2008). Not like us: How Europeans have loved, hated, and transformed American culture since World War II. Basic Books.
Zweynert, J. (2006). Shared mental models, catch-up development and economic policy-making: the case of Germany after World War II and its significance for contemporary Russia. Eastern Economic Journal, 457-478.
