22nd of June. Ordinary Sunday. More than 200 million citizens are planning how to spend their day off: go on a visit, take their children to the zoo, someone is in a hurry to play football, someone is on a date. Soon they will become heroes and victims of the war, killed and wounded, soldiers and refugees, blockade runners and prisoners of concentration camps, partisans, prisoners of war, orphans, and invalids. Winners and veterans of the Great Patriotic War. But none of them know about it yet.

In 1941 The Soviet Union was quite firmly on its feet - industrialization and collectivization bore fruit, industry developed - out of ten tractors produced in the world, four were Soviet-made. Dneproges and Magnitogorsk have been built, the army is being re-equipped - the famous T-34 tank, Yak-1, MIG-3 fighters, Il-2 attack aircraft, Pe-2 bomber have already entered service with the Red Army. The situation in the world is turbulent, but the Soviet people are sure that "the armor is strong and our tanks are fast." In addition, two years ago, after three-hour talks in Moscow, USSR People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov and German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop signed a 10-year non-aggression pact.

After the abnormally cold winter of 1940-1941. A rather warm summer has come to Moscow. Amusements operate in the Gorky Park, football matches are held at the Dynamo stadium. The Mosfilm film studio is preparing the main premiere of the summer of 1941 - the editing of the lyrical comedy Hearts of Four, which will be released only in 1945, has just been completed here. Starring the favorite of Joseph Stalin and all Soviet moviegoers, actress Valentina Serova.

June, 1941 Astrakhan. Near the village of Liney

1941 Astrakhan. On the Caspian Sea

July 1, 1940 A scene from the film "My Love" directed by Vladimir Korsh-Sablin. In the center, actress Lidia Smirnova as Shurochka

April, 1941 Peasant greets the first Soviet tractor

July 12, 1940 Residents of Uzbekistan work on the construction of a section of the Great Fergana Canal

August 9, 1940 Byelorussian SSR. Collective farmers of the village of Tonezh, Turovsky district, Polesye region, for a walk after a hard day's work

May 05, 1941 Kliment Voroshilov, Mikhail Kalinin, Anastas Mikoyan, Andrey Andreev, Alexander Shcherbakov, Georgy Malenkov, Semyon Timoshenko, Georgy Zhukov, Andrey Eremenko, Semyon Budyonny, Nikolai Bulganin, Lazar Kaganovich and others in the presidium of the ceremonial meeting dedicated to graduation commanders who graduated from military academies. Joseph Stalin speaking

June 1, 1940. Classes in civil defense in the village of Dikanka. Ukraine, Poltava region

In the spring and summer of 1941, exercises of the Soviet military began to be carried out more and more often on the western borders of the USSR. War is already in full swing in Europe. Rumors reach the Soviet leadership that Germany could attack at any moment. But such messages are often ignored, since a non-aggression pact was signed just recently.
August 20, 1940 Villagers talking to tankmen during military exercises

"Higher, higher and higher
We strive for the flight of our birds,
And breathes in every propeller
The tranquility of our borders."

Soviet song, better known as "March of the Aviators"

June 1, 1941. An I-16 fighter is suspended under the wing of a TB-3 aircraft, under the wing of which a high-explosive bomb weighing 250 kg

September 28, 1939 People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov and German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop shake hands after the signing of the joint Soviet-German treaty "On Friendship and Borders"

Field Marshal V. Keitel, Colonel General V. von Brauchitsch, A. Hitler, Colonel General F. Halder (left to right in the foreground) near the table with a map during a meeting of the General Staff. In 1940, Adolf Hitler signed the main directive number 21, codenamed "Barbarossa"

On June 17, 1941, V.N. Merkulov sent an intelligence message received by the NKGB of the USSR from Berlin to I.V. Stalin and V.M. Molotov:

“A source working at the headquarters of the German aviation reports:
1. All German military measures to prepare for an armed uprising against the USSR have been completely completed, and a strike can be expected at any time.

2. In the circles of the aviation headquarters, the TASS message of June 6 was perceived very ironically. They emphasize that this statement cannot have any meaning ... "

There is a resolution (regarding 2 points): “To Comrade Merkulov. You can send your "source" from the headquarters of the German aviation to the fucking mother. This is not a "source", but a disinformer. I. Stalin»

July 1, 1940. Marshal Semyon Timoshenko (right), General of the Army Georgy Zhukov (left) and General of the Army Kirill Meretskov (2nd from left) during an exercise in the 99th Rifle Division of the Kyiv Special Military District

June 21, 21:00

At the site of the Sokal commandant's office, a German soldier, Corporal Alfred Liskof, was detained after swimming across the Bug River.

From the testimony of the head of the 90th border detachment, Major Bychkovsky:“Due to the fact that the translators in the detachment are weak, I called a German teacher from the city ... and Liskof repeated the same thing again, that is, that the Germans were preparing to attack the USSR at dawn on June 22, 1941 ... Without finishing the interrogation of the soldier, he heard in the direction Ustilug (first commandant's office) strong artillery fire. 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.

21:30

In Moscow, a conversation took place between People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov and German Ambassador Schulenburg. Molotov protested in connection with the numerous violations of the borders of the USSR by German aircraft. Schulenburg evaded answering.

From the memoirs of Corporal Hans Teuchler:“At 22 o’clock we were lined up and the order of the Fuhrer was read out. Finally, they told us directly why we are here. Not at all for a rush to Persia to punish the British with the permission of the Russians. And not in order to lull the vigilance of the British, and then quickly transfer troops to the English Channel and land in England. No. We - soldiers of the Great Reich - are waiting for a war with the Soviet Union itself. But there is no such force that could hold back the movement of our armies. For the Russians it will be a real war, for us it will be just a victory. We will pray for her."

June 22, 00:30

Directive No. 1 was sent to the districts, containing an order to covertly occupy firing points on the border, not to succumb to provocations and put the troops on alert.

From the memoirs of the German General Heinz Guderian:“On the fateful day of June 22 at 2:10 in the morning, I went to the command post of the group ...
At 03:15 our artillery preparation began.
At 0340 hours - the first raid of our dive bombers.
At 4:15 a.m., the crossing over the Bug began.

03:07

The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Oktyabrsky, called the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, Georgy Zhukov, and said that a large number of unknown aircraft were approaching from the sea; The fleet is in full combat readiness. The admiral offered to meet them with fleet air defense fire. He was instructed: "Act and report to your people's commissar."

03:30

Chief of Staff of the Western District, Major General Vladimir Klimovskikh, reported on a German air raid on the cities of Belarus. Three minutes later, the chief of staff of the Kyiv district, General Purkaev, reported on an air raid on the cities of Ukraine. At 03:40, the commander of the Baltic District, General Kuznetsov, reported a raid on Kaunas and other cities.

From the memoirs of I. I. Geibo, deputy regiment commander of the 46th IAP, ZapVO:“... My chest went cold. In front of me are four twin-engine bombers with black crosses on their wings. I even bit my lip. Why, these are Junkers! German Ju-88 bombers! What to do? .. Another thought arose: "Today is Sunday, and on Sundays the Germans do not have training flights." So it's a war? Yes, war!

03:40

People's Commissar of Defense Timoshenko asks Zhukov to report to Stalin about the start of hostilities. Stalin responded by ordering all members of the Politburo to gather in the Kremlin. At that moment, Brest, Grodno, Lida, Kobrin, Slonim, Baranovich, Bobruisk, Volkovysk, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sevastopol, Riga, Vindava, Libava, Siauliai, Kaunas, Vilnius and many other cities were bombed.

From the memoirs of Alevtina Kotik, born in 1925 (Lithuania):“I woke up from the fact that I hit my head on the bed - the ground shook from falling bombs. I ran to my parents. Dad said: “The war has begun. We have to get out of here!” We did not know with whom the war started, we did not think about it, it was just very scary. Dad was a military man, and therefore he was able to call a car for us, which took us to the railway station. They took only clothes with them. All furniture and household utensils remained. At first we rode on a freight train. I remember how my mother covered me and my brother with her body, then they transferred to a passenger train. The fact that the war with Germany, they learned somewhere around 12 noon from people they met. Near the city of Siauliai, we saw a large number of wounded, stretchers, doctors.

At the same time, the Belostok-Minsk battle began, as a result of which the main forces of the Soviet Western Front were surrounded and defeated. German troops captured a significant part of Belarus and advanced to a depth of over 300 km. On the part of the Soviet Union, 11 rifle, 2 cavalry, 6 tank and 4 motorized divisions were destroyed in the Bialystok and Minsk "boilers", 3 commanders and 2 division commanders were killed, 2 commanders and 6 division commanders were captured, another 1 corps commander and 2 commanders divisions were missing.

04:10

The Western and Baltic Special Districts reported on the start of hostilities by German troops on land.

04:12

German bombers appeared over Sevastopol. The enemy raid was repulsed, and an attempt to strike at the ships was thwarted, but residential buildings and warehouses were damaged in the city.

From the memoirs of Sevastopol Anatoly Marsanov:“I was then only five years old ... The only thing that remains in my memory: on the night of June 22, parachutes appeared in the sky. It became light, I remember, the whole city was illuminated, everyone was running, so joyful ... They shouted: “Paratroopers! Paratroopers!”… They don't know that these are mines. And they both gasped - one in the bay, the other - down the street below us, they killed so many people!

04:15

The defense of the Brest Fortress began. By the first attack, by 04:55, the Germans occupied almost half of the fortress.

From the memoirs of the defender of the Brest Fortress Pyotr Kotelnikov, born in 1929:“In the morning we were awakened by a strong blow. Broke the roof. I was stunned. I saw the wounded and the dead, I realized: this is no longer an exercise, but a war. Most of the soldiers of our barracks died in the first seconds. Following the adults, I rushed to the weapon, but they did not give me rifles. Then I, with one of the Red Army soldiers, rushed to extinguish the clothing warehouse. Then he moved with the soldiers to the cellars of the barracks of the neighboring 333rd Infantry Regiment ... We helped the wounded, brought them ammunition, food, water. Through the western wing at night they made their way to the river to draw water, and returned back.

05:00

Moscow time, Reich Minister of Foreign Affairs Joachim von Ribbentrop summoned Soviet diplomats to his office. When they arrived, he informed them of the start of the war. The last thing he said to the ambassadors was: "Tell Moscow that I was against the attack." After that, telephones did not work in the embassy, ​​and the building itself was surrounded by SS detachments.

5:30

Schulenburg officially informed Molotov about the beginning of the war between Germany and the USSR, reading out a note: “Bolshevik Moscow is ready to stab in the back of National Socialist Germany, which is fighting for existence. The German government cannot be indifferent to the serious threat on the eastern border. Therefore, the Fuhrer gave the order to the German armed forces to ward off this threat with all their might and means ... "

From the memoirs of Molotov:"The adviser to the German ambassador Hilger, when he handed the note, shed a tear."

From Hilger's memoirs:“He gave vent to his indignation by declaring that Germany had attacked a country with which it had a non-aggression pact. This has no precedent in history. The reason given by the German side is an empty pretext ... Molotov concluded his angry speech with the words: “We did not give any grounds for this.”

07:15

Directive No. 2 was issued, ordering the USSR troops to destroy enemy forces in areas of violation of the border, destroy enemy aircraft, and also “bomb Koenigsberg and Memel” (modern Kaliningrad and Klaipeda). The USSR Air Force was allowed to go "to the depth of German territory up to 100-150 km." At the same time, the first counterattack of the Soviet troops took place near the Lithuanian town of Alytus.

09:00

At 7:00 Berlin time, Reich Minister of Public Education and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels read out on the radio Adolf Hitler's appeal to the German people in connection with the outbreak of war against the Soviet Union: “... Today I decided to once again put the fate and future of the German Reich and our people into the hands of our soldier. May the Lord help us in this struggle!

09:30

Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Mikhail Kalinin signed a number of decrees, including the decree on the introduction of martial law, on the formation of the Headquarters of the High Command, on military tribunals and on general mobilization, to which all those liable for military service from 1905 to 1918 were born.

10:00

German bombers raided Kyiv and its suburbs. The railway station, the Bolshevik plant, an aircraft plant, power plants, military airfields, and residential buildings were bombed. According to official data, 25 people died as a result of the bombing, according to unofficial data, there were many more victims. However, peaceful life continued in the capital of Ukraine for several more days. Only the opening of the stadium, scheduled for June 22, was canceled; on this day, the football match Dynamo (Kyiv) - CSKA was supposed to take place here.

12:15

Molotov made a speech on the radio about the beginning of the war, where he first called it patriotic. Also in this speech, for the first time, the phrase that became the main slogan of the war is heard: “Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours".

From Molotov's address:“This unprecedented attack on our country is an unparalleled perfidy in the history of civilized peoples... This war was imposed on us not by the German people, not by the German workers, peasants and intelligentsia, whose suffering we understand well, but by a clique of bloodthirsty fascist rulers of Germany who enslaved the French, Czechs , Poles, Serbs, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Greece and other peoples ... This is not the first time our people have to deal with an attacking arrogant enemy. At one time, our people responded to Napoleon's campaign in Russia with a Patriotic War, and Napoleon was defeated and came to his collapse. The same will happen to the arrogant Hitler, who has announced a new campaign against our country. The Red Army and all our people will again wage a victorious patriotic war for the Motherland, for honor, for freedom.

The working people of Leningrad listen to the message about the attack of fascist Germany on the Soviet Union

From the memoirs of Dmitry Savelyev, Novokuznetsk: “We gathered at the poles with loudspeakers. We listened carefully to Molotov's speech. For many, there was a feeling of some kind of wariness. After that, the streets began to empty, after a while food disappeared from the shops. They weren’t bought up – just the supply was reduced… People weren’t scared, but rather concentrated, doing everything the government told them.”

After some time, the text of Molotov's speech was repeated by the famous announcer Yuri Levitan. Thanks to his soulful voice and the fact that Levitan read the front-line reports of the Soviet Information Bureau throughout the war, it is believed that he was the first to read the message about the beginning of the war on the radio. Even marshals Zhukov and Rokossovsky thought so, as they wrote about in their memoirs.

Moscow. Announcer Yuri Levitan during filming in the studio

From the memoirs of announcer Yuri Levitan:“When we, the announcers, were called to the radio early in the morning, the calls had already begun to ring out. They call from Minsk: “Enemy planes over the city”, they call from Kaunas: “The city is on fire, why are you not transmitting anything on the radio?”, “Enemy planes are over Kyiv.” Women's crying, excitement - "is it really a war"? .. And now I remember - I turned on the microphone. In all cases, I remember myself that I only worried internally, only experienced internally. But here, when I uttered the word “Moscow is speaking”, I feel that I can’t continue to speak - a lump stuck in my throat. They are already knocking from the control room - “Why are you silent? Go on! He clenched his fists and continued: "Citizens and citizens of the Soviet Union ..."

Stalin delivered a speech to the Soviet people only on July 3, 12 days after the start of the war. Historians are still arguing why he was silent for so long. Here is how Vyacheslav Molotov explained this fact:“Why me and not Stalin? He didn't want to go first. It is necessary that there be a clearer picture, what tone and what approach ... He said that he would wait a few days and speak when the situation on the fronts cleared up.

And here is what Marshal Zhukov wrote about this:"AND. V. Stalin was a strong-willed man and, as they say, "not from a cowardly dozen." Confused, I saw him only once. It was at dawn on June 22, 1941, when Nazi Germany attacked our country. During the first day, he could not really pull himself together and firmly direct events. The shock produced on I. V. Stalin by the attack of the enemy was so strong that his voice even dropped, and his orders for organizing armed struggle did not always correspond to the situation.

From a speech by Stalin on the radio on July 3, 1941:“The war with fascist Germany cannot be considered an ordinary war... Our war for the freedom of our Fatherland will merge with the struggle of the peoples of Europe and America for their independence, for democratic freedoms.”

12:30

At the same time, German troops entered Grodno. A few minutes later, the bombardment of Minsk, Kyiv, Sevastopol and other cities began again.

From the memoirs of Ninel Karpova, born in 1931 (Kharovsk, Vologda region):“We listened to the message about the beginning of the war from the loudspeaker at the House of Defense. There were a lot of people there. I was not upset, on the contrary, I became proud: my father will defend the Motherland ... In general, people were not afraid. Yes, women, of course, were upset, crying. But there was no panic. Everyone was sure that we would quickly defeat the Germans. The men said: "Yes, the Germans will drape from us!"

Recruiting stations were opened in the military registration and enlistment offices. Queues lined up in Moscow, Leningrad and other cities.

From the memoirs of Dina Belykh, born in 1936 (Kushva, Sverdlovsk region):“All men immediately began to call, including my dad. Dad hugged mom, they both cried, kissed ... I remember how I grabbed him by the tarpaulin boots and shouted: “Daddy, don’t go! They'll kill you there, they'll kill you!" When he got on the train, my mother took me in her arms, we both sobbed, she whispered through her tears: “Wave to dad ...” What is there, I sobbed so much, I could not move my hand. We never saw him again, our breadwinner."

The calculations and experience of the mobilization carried out showed that in order to transfer the army and navy to wartime, it was necessary to call up 4.9 million people. However, when mobilization was announced, 14 ages of conscripts were called up, the total number of which was about 10 million people, that is, almost 5.1 million people more than what was required.

The first day of mobilization in the Red Army. Volunteers in the Oktyabrsky military registration and enlistment office

The conscription of such a mass of people was not caused by military necessity and introduced disorganization into the national economy and anxiety among the masses. Without realizing this, Marshal of the Soviet Union G. I. Kulik suggested that the government additionally call on older ages (1895-1904), the total number of which was 6.8 million people.

13:15

To capture the Brest Fortress, the Germans brought into action new forces of the 133rd Infantry Regiment on the Southern and Western Islands, but this "did not bring changes in the situation." The Brest Fortress continued to hold the line. Fritz Schlieper's 45th Infantry Division was thrown into this sector of the front. It was decided that only infantry would take the Brest Fortress - without tanks. No more than eight hours were allotted for the capture of the fortress.

From a report to the headquarters of the 45th Infantry Division Fritz Schlieper:“The Russians are fiercely resisting, especially behind our attacking companies. In the Citadel, the enemy organized defense with infantry units supported by 35-40 tanks and armored vehicles. The fire of Russian snipers led to heavy losses among officers and non-commissioned officers.

14:30

Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano told the Soviet ambassador in Rome, Gorelkin, that Italy had declared war on the USSR "from the moment German troops entered Soviet territory."

From Ciano's diaries:“He perceives my message with rather great indifference, but this is in his nature. The message is very short, without unnecessary words. The conversation lasted two minutes.

15:00

The pilots of the German bombers reported that they had nothing more to bomb, all airfields, barracks and accumulations of armored vehicles were destroyed.

From the memoirs of Air Marshal, Hero of the Soviet Union G.V. Zimina:“On June 22, 1941, large groups of fascist bombers attacked 66 of our airfields, on which the main aviation forces of the western border districts were based. First of all, airfields were subjected to air strikes, on which aviation regiments were based, armed with aircraft of new designs ... As a result of attacks on airfields and in fierce air battles, the enemy managed to destroy up to 1,200 aircraft, including 800 at airfields.

16:30

Stalin left the Kremlin for the Near Dacha. Until the end of the day, even members of the Politburo are not allowed to see the leader.

From the memoirs of Politburo member Nikita Khrushchev:
“Beria told the following: when the war began, members of the Politburo gathered at Stalin's. I don’t know, all or only a certain group, which most often met with Stalin. Stalin was morally completely depressed and made the following statement: “The war has begun, it is developing catastrophically. Lenin left us the proletarian Soviet state, and we pissed it off.” Literally said so.
“I,” he says, “refuse leadership,” and left. He left, got into the car and drove to a nearby dacha.

Some historians, referring to the memories of other participants in the events, argue that this conversation took place a day later. But the fact that in the first days of the war Stalin was confused and did not know how to act is confirmed by many witnesses.

18:30

The commander of the 4th Army, Ludwig Kubler, gives the order to "pull his own forces" at the Brest Fortress. This is one of the first orders for the retreat of German troops.

19:00

The commander of Army Group Center, General Fedor von Bock, gives the order to stop the execution of Soviet prisoners of war. After that, they were kept in hastily fenced fields with barbed wire. This is how the first camps for prisoners of war appeared.

From the notes of SS Brigadeführer G. Keppler, commander of the "Der Fuhrer" regiment from the SS division "Das Reich":“In the hands of our regiment were rich trophies and a large number of prisoners, among whom were many civilians, even women and girls, the Russians forced them to defend themselves with weapons in their hands, and they bravely fought along with the Red Army.”

23:00

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivers a radio address in which he stated that England "will give Russia and the Russian people all the help it can."

Winston Churchill's speech on the air of the BBC radio station:“Over the past 25 years, no one has been a more consistent opponent of communism than me. I won't take back a single word I said about him. But all this pales before the spectacle now unfolding. The past with its crimes, follies and tragedies is disappearing... I see Russian soldiers standing on the threshold of their native land, guarding the fields that their fathers have cultivated since time immemorial... I see how the vile Nazi war machine is approaching all this.

23:50

The Main Military Council of the Red Army sent out Directive No. 3, ordering June 23 to launch counterattacks against enemy groups.

Text: Information Center of the Kommersant Publishing House, Tatiana Mishanina, Artem Galustyan
Video: Dmitry Shelkovnikov, Alexey Koshel
A photo: TASS, RIA Novosti, Ogonyok, Dmitry Kuchev
Design, programming and layout: Anton Zhukov, Alexey Shabrov
Kim Voronin
Commissioning Editor: Artem Galustyan

In Sevastopol, the war came earlier than in other cities of the Soviet Union - the first bombs were dropped on the city at 3:15 in the morning. Before the officially approved time of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. It was at 03:15 that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Philip Oktyabrsky, called the capital and reported to Admiral Kuznetsov that an air raid had been carried out on Sevastopol and anti-aircraft artillery was returning fire.

The Germans sought to block the fleet. They dropped bottom non-contact mines of enormous power. The bombs were dropped by parachutes, when the projectile reached the surface of the water, the mounts came off, and the bomb went to the bottom. These mines had specific targets - Soviet ships. But one of them fell on a residential area - about 20 people died, more than 100 were injured.

Warships and anti-aircraft defenses were ready to strike back. As early as 03:06, the Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet, Rear Admiral Ivan Eliseev, gave the order to open fire on fascist aircraft that had invaded far into the airspace of the USSR. This is how he left a mark in a series of historical events - he gave the first combat order to repel enemy attacks.

It is interesting that for a long time the feat of Eliseev was either hushed up or adjusted into the framework of the official chronology of hostilities. That is why in some sources you can find information that the order was given at 4 o'clock in the morning. In those days, this order was given contrary to the orders of the higher military command and, according to the laws, he should have been shot.

June 22 at 3:48 in Sevastopol already had the first victims of the Great Patriotic War. 12 minutes before the official announcement of the start of hostilities, German bombs ended the lives of civilians. In Sevastopol, a monument to the first victims of the war was built in memory of them.

VL / Articles / Interesting

How it was: what Hitler really faced on June 22, 1941 (part 1)

22-06-2016, 08:44

On June 22, 1941, at 4 o'clock in the morning, Germany treacherously, without declaring war, attacked the Soviet Union and, starting to bomb our cities with peacefully sleeping children, immediately declared itself to be a criminal force that did not have a human face. The most bloody war in the entire history of the existence of the Russian state began.

Our fight with Europe was deadly. On June 22, 1941, German troops launched an offensive against the USSR in three directions: east (Army Group Center) to Moscow, southeast (Army Group South) to Kyiv and northeast (Army Group North) to Leningrad . In addition, the German army "Norway" was advancing in the direction of Murmansk.

Together with the German armies, the armies of Italy, Romania, Hungary, Finland and volunteer formations from Croatia, Slovakia, Spain, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and other European countries advanced on the USSR.

On June 22, 1941, 5.5 million soldiers and officers of Nazi Germany and its satellites crossed the border of the USSR and invaded our land, but in terms of the number of troops, the armed forces of Germany alone exceeded the Armed Forces of the USSR by 1.6 times, namely: 8.5 million people in the Wehrmacht and a little over 5 million people in the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. Together with the Allied armies, Germany had at least 11 million trained, armed soldiers and officers on June 22, 1941, and could very quickly make up for the losses of its army and strengthen its troops.

And if the number of only German troops exceeded the number of Soviet troops by 1.6 times, then together with the troops of the European allies it exceeded the number of Soviet troops by at least 2.2 times. Such a monstrously huge force opposed the Red Army.

The industry of Europe united by it worked for Germany with a population of about 400 million people, which was almost 2 times the population of the USSR, which had 195 million people.

At the beginning of the war, the Red Army, compared with the troops of Germany and its allies that attacked the USSR, had 19,800 units more guns and mortars, 86 units more warships of the main classes, and the Red Army outnumbered the attacking enemy in the number of machine guns. Small arms, guns of all calibers and mortars, in terms of combat characteristics, not only were not inferior, but in many cases even surpassed German weapons.

As for the armored forces and aviation, our army had them in numbers that far exceeded the number of units of this equipment that the enemy had at the beginning of the war. But the bulk of our tanks and aircraft compared to the German ones were weapons of the "old generation", obsolete. Tanks for the most part were only with bulletproof armor. A considerable percentage were also defective aircraft and tanks to be written off.

At the same time, it should be noted that before the start of the war, the Red Army received 595 KB heavy tanks and 1,225 T-34 medium tanks, as well as 3,719 new types of aircraft: Yak-1, LaGG-3, MiG-3 fighters, Il- 4 (DB-ZF), Pe-8 (TB-7), Pe-2, Il-2 attack aircraft. Basically, we designed and produced the specified new, expensive and science-intensive equipment in the period from the beginning of 1939 to the middle of 1941, that is, for the most part during the validity of the non-aggression pact concluded in 1939 - the "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact".

It was the presence of a large number of weapons that allowed us to survive and win. For, despite the huge losses of weapons in the initial period of the war, we still had a sufficient amount of weapons to resist during the retreat and for the offensive near Moscow.

It must be said that in 1941 the German army did not have equipment similar to our heavy KB tanks, armored attack aircraft IL-2 and rocket artillery, such as BM-13 ("Katyusha"), capable of hitting targets at a distance of more than eight kilometers.

Due to the poor work of Soviet intelligence, our army did not know the direction of the main attacks planned by the enemy. Therefore, the Germans had the opportunity to create a multiple superiority of military forces in the breakthrough areas and break through our defenses.

The capabilities of Soviet intelligence are greatly exaggerated in order to belittle the military merits and technical achievements of the USSR. Our troops retreated under the onslaught of superior enemy forces. Parts of the Red Army had to either withdraw quickly to avoid encirclement, or fight in encirclement. And it was not so easy to withdraw the troops, because in many cases the mobility of the German mechanized formations that had broken through our defenses exceeded the mobility of our troops.

Of course, not all groupings of Soviet troops were capable of mobile German formations. The main part of the German infantry advanced on foot, as our troops basically retreated, which allowed many units of the Red Army to retreat to new lines of defense.

The encircled covering troops held back the advance of the Nazi hordes to the last opportunity, and the units retreating in battles, uniting with the troops of the 2nd echelon, significantly slowed down the advance of the German armies.

In order to stop the German armies that had broken through the border, large reserves were needed, equipped with mobile formations that could quickly approach the breakthrough site and push the enemy back. We did not have such reserves, since the country had no economic opportunities to maintain an 11 million army in peacetime.

It is unfair to blame the government of the USSR for such a development of events. Despite the desperate resistance to industrialization on the part of certain forces within the country, our government and our people have done everything they could to build and equip an army. It was impossible to do more in the time allotted to the Soviet Union.

Our intelligence, of course, was not up to par. But it's only in the movies that scouts get blueprints for planes and atomic bombs. In real life, such drawings will take far from one railway car. Our intelligence did not have the opportunity to receive the Barbarossa plan in 1941. But even knowing the direction of the main blows, we would have to retreat before the monstrous force of the enemy. But in this case we would have less losses.

According to all theoretical calculations, the USSR should have lost this war, but we won it, because we knew how to work and fight like no one else on earth. Hitler conquered Europe, except for Poland, in an effort to unite and subordinate to the will of Germany. And he sought to exterminate us both in battles, and the civilian population, and our prisoners of war. About the war against the USSR, Hitler said: "We are talking about a war of extermination."

But everything did not go as planned for Hitler: the Russians left more than half of the troops far from the border, announced mobilization after the start of the war, as a result of which they had people to recruit new divisions, took military factories to the East, did not lose heart, but fought steadfastly for every inch of land. The German General Staff was horrified by Germany's losses in men and equipment.

The losses of our retreating army in 1941, of course, were greater than the German ones. The German army created a new organizational structure, including tanks, motorized infantry, artillery, engineering units and communications units, which made it possible not only to break through the enemy’s defenses, but also to develop it in depth, breaking away from the bulk of its troops for tens of kilometers. The proportions of all military branches were carefully calculated by the Germans and tested in battles in Europe. With such a structure, tank formations became a strategic means of struggle.

We needed time to create such troops from newly manufactured equipment. In the summer of 1941, we had neither the experience of creating and using such units, nor the number of trucks needed to transport infantry. Created on the eve of the war, our mechanized corps were much less perfect than the German ones.

The General Staff of Germany gave the plan of attack on the USSR the name "Barbarossa" after the name of the German emperor of terrifying cruelty. On June 29, 1941, Hitler declared: "In four weeks we will be in Moscow, and it will be plowed up."

Not a single German general spoke in his forecasts about the capture of Moscow later than August. For everyone, August was the deadline for the capture of Moscow, and October - the territory of the USSR to the Urals along the line Arkhangelsk - Astrakhan.

The US military believed that Germany would be occupied in the war with the Russians from one to three months, and the British military - from three to six weeks. They made such predictions, because they knew well the force of the blow that Germany brought down on the USSR. How long we will hold out in the war with Germany, the West estimated by itself.

The German government was so sure of a quick victory that it did not even consider it necessary to spend money on warm winter uniforms for the army.

Enemy troops advanced from the Barents to the Black Seas on a front stretching over 2,000 thousand kilometers.

Germany counted on a blitzkrieg, that is, a lightning strike on our armed forces and their destruction as a result of this lightning strike. The location of 57% of Soviet troops in the 2nd and 3rd echelons initially contributed to the disruption of the Germans' calculation for a blitzkrieg. And in combination with the resilience of our troops in the 1st defense echelon, it completely disrupted the German calculation for a blitzkrieg.

And what kind of blitzkrieg can we talk about if the Germans in the summer of 1941 could not even destroy our aircraft. From the first day of the war, the Luftwaffe paid a huge price for the desire to destroy our aircraft on the airfields and in the air.

From 1940 to 1946, the People's Commissar of the Aviation Industry of the USSR A. I. Shakhurin wrote: “During the period from June 22 to July 5, 1941, the German Air Force lost 807 aircraft of all types, and from July 6 to 19 another 477 aircraft. A third of the German air force, which they had before the attack on our country, was destroyed.

Thus, only for the first month of fighting in the period from 22.06. By July 19, 1941, Germany lost 1284 aircraft, and in less than five months of fighting - 5180 aircraft. Surprisingly, only a few people in the whole of large Russia know today about our glorious victories in the most unfortunate period of the war for us.

So who and with what weapons destroyed these 1284 Luftwaffe aircraft in the first month of the war? These aircraft were destroyed by our pilots and anti-aircraft gunners in the same way that our artillerymen destroyed enemy tanks, because the Red Army had anti-tank guns, aircraft and anti-aircraft guns.

And in October 1941, the Red Army had enough weapons to hold the front. At this time, the defense of Moscow was carried out at the limit of human strength. Only Soviet, Russian people could fight like that. I. V. Stalin deserves a good word, back in July 1941 he organized the construction of concrete pillboxes, bunkers, anti-tank barriers and other barrage military construction structures, fortified areas (Urov) on the outskirts of Moscow, who managed to provide weapons, ammunition, food and uniforms fighting army.

The Germans were stopped near Moscow, first of all, because even in the autumn of 1941, our men fighting the enemy had weapons to shoot down planes, burn tanks and mix enemy infantry with the ground.

On November 29, 1941, our troops liberated Rostov-on-Don in the south, and Tikhvin was liberated in the north on December 9. Having pinned down the southern and northern groupings of German troops, our command created favorable conditions for the offensive of the Red Army near Moscow.

It was not the Siberian divisions that made it possible for our troops to go on the offensive near Moscow, but the reserve armies created by the Stavka and brought up to Moscow before our troops went on the offensive. A. M. Vasilevsky recalled: “A major event was the completion of the preparation of regular and extraordinary reserve formations. At the turn of Vytegra - Rybinsk - Gorky - Saratov - Stalingrad - Astrakhan, a new strategic line was being created for the Red Army. Here, on the basis of the decision of the GKO, adopted on October 5, ten reserve armies were formed. Creating them throughout the entire battle of Moscow was one of the main and daily concerns of the Central Committee of the Party, the State Defense Committee and the Headquarters. We, the leaders of the General Staff, daily, when reporting to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on the situation on the fronts, reported in detail on the progress in the creation of these formations. It can be said without exaggeration: in the outcome of the Battle of Moscow, the fact that the party and the Soviet people promptly formed, armed, trained and deployed new armies under the capital was of decisive importance.

The battle near Moscow can be divided into two parts: defensive from September 30 to December 5, 1941 and offensive from December 5 to April 20, 1942.

And if in June 1941 German troops suddenly attacked us, then in December 1941 near Moscow our Soviet troops suddenly attacked the Germans. Despite the deep snow and frost, our army successfully advanced. Panic broke out in the German army. Only the intervention of Hitler prevented the complete defeat of the German troops.

The monstrous force of Europe, faced with the Russian force, could not overcome us and, under the blows of the Soviet troops, fled back to the West. In 1941, our great-grandfathers and grandfathers defended the right to life and, meeting the New Year 1942, proclaimed toasts to the Victory.

In 1942, our troops continued to advance. The Moscow and Tula regions, many districts of the Kalinin, Smolensk, Ryazan and Oryol regions were liberated. Losses in manpower only of the Army Group Center, which until recently stood near Moscow for the period from January 1 to March 30, 1942, amounted to over 333 thousand people.

But the enemy was still strong. By May 1942, the fascist German army had 6.2 million people and weapons superior to the Red Army. Our army numbered 5.1 million people. without air defense troops and the Navy.

Thus, in the summer of 1942, against our ground forces, Germany and its allies had 1.1 million more soldiers and officers. Germany and its allies maintained superiority in the number of troops from the first day of the war until 1943. In the summer of 1942, 217 enemy divisions and 20 enemy brigades operated on the Soviet-German front, that is, about 80% of all German ground forces.

In connection with this circumstance, the Headquarters did not transfer troops from the Western to the South-Western direction. This decision was correct, as was the decision to deploy strategic reserves in the area of ​​Tula, Voronezh, Stalingrad and Saratov.

Most of our forces and means were concentrated not in the south-western, but in the western direction. Ultimately, this distribution of forces led to the defeat of the German, or rather European, army, and in this regard, it is inappropriate to talk about the incorrect distribution of our troops by the summer of 1942. It was thanks to this distribution of troops that we were able in November to gather forces near Stalingrad sufficient to defeat the enemy, and were able to replenish our troops in defensive battles.

In the summer of 1942, we could not hold the defense for a long time against the German troops, which were superior to us in forces and means, and were forced to retreat under the threat of encirclement.

It was still impossible to compensate for the missing number of artillery, aviation and other types of weapons, since the evacuated enterprises were just starting to work at full capacity, and the military industry of Europe still surpassed the military industry of the Soviet Union.

German troops continued their offensive along the western (right) bank of the Don and sought, by all means, to reach the large bend of the river. Soviet troops retreated to natural lines where they could gain a foothold.

By mid-July, the enemy captured Valuiki, Rossosh, Boguchar, Kantemirovka, Millerovo. Before him opened the eastern road - to Stalingrad and the south - to the Caucasus.

The battle of Stalingrad is divided into two periods: defensive from July 17 to November 18 and offensive, culminating in the liquidation of a huge enemy group, from November 19, 1942 to February 02, 1943.

The defensive operation began on the distant approaches to Stalingrad. From July 17, the forward detachments of the 62nd and 64th armies offered fierce resistance to the enemy at the turn of the Chir and Tsymla rivers for 6 days.

The troops of Germany and its allies could not take Stalingrad.

The offensive of our troops began on November 19, 1942. The troops of the Southwestern and Don Fronts went on the offensive. This day went down in our history as Artillery Day. On November 20, 1942, the troops of the Stalingrad Front went on the offensive. On November 23, the troops of the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts united in the Kalach-on-Don, Sovetsky area, closing the encirclement of German troops. The Headquarters and our General Staff calculated everything very well, tying the Paulus army hand and foot with a great distance from our advancing troops, the 62nd Army, located in Stalingrad, and the offensive of the troops of the Don Front.

New Year's Eve 1943 was celebrated by our courageous soldiers and officers, just like New Year's Eve 1942, by the victors.

A huge contribution to the organization of the victory at Stalingrad was made by the Headquarters and the General Staff, headed by A. M. Vasilevsky.

During the Battle of Stalingrad, which lasted 200 days and nights, Germany and its allies lost ¼ of the forces operating at that time on the Soviet-German front. “The total losses of enemy troops in the region of the Don, Volga, Stalingrad amounted to 1.5 million people, up to 3500 tanks and assault guns, 12 thousand guns and mortars, up to 3 thousand aircraft and a large number of other equipment. Such losses of forces and means had a catastrophic effect on the general strategic situation and shook the entire military machine of Nazi Germany to its foundations, ”wrote G.K. Zhukov.

During the two winter months of 1942-1943, the defeated German army was driven back to the positions from which it had begun the offensive in the summer of 1942. This great victory for our troops gave additional strength to both the fighters and the home front workers.

The troops of Germany and their allies were also defeated near Leningrad. On January 18, 1943, the troops of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts united, the ring of the blockade of Leningrad was broken.

A narrow corridor 8-11 kilometers wide, adjacent to the southern coast of Lake Ladoga, was cleared of the enemy and connected Leningrad with the country. Long-distance trains began to run from Leningrad to Vladivostok.

Hitler was going to take Leningrad in 4 weeks by July 21, 1941 and send the liberated troops to storm Moscow, but he could not take the city by January 1944 either. Hitler ordered the proposals to surrender the city to the German troops not to accept and wipe the city off the face of the earth, but in fact, the German divisions stationed near Leningrad were wiped off the face of the earth by the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts. Hitler stated that Leningrad would be the first major city captured by the Germans in the Soviet Union and spared no effort to capture it, but did not take into account that he was fighting not in Europe, but in Soviet Russia. I did not take into account the courage of the Leningraders and the strength of our weapons.

The victorious conclusion of the Battle of Stalingrad and the breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad became possible not only thanks to the stamina and courage of the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army, the ingenuity of our soldiers and the knowledge of our military leaders, but, above all, thanks to the heroic work of the rear.

To be continued...

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Line UMK I. L. Andreev, O. V. Volobuev. History (6-10)

General history

Russian history

June 22: chronology of the events of the first day of the Great Patriotic War

On June 22, 1941, the Soviet Union was subjected to an unexpected, without a declaration of war, attack by Nazi Germany. The Great Patriotic War began, a brutal war between the Soviet people and the Wehrmacht troops. This day will forever remain a day of remembrance and mourning for all the dead. Today we remember how the events of the first day of that terrible war developed chronologically.

Peaceful June 41st The first summer month in 1941 turned out to be very warm. People spent their days off as usual: walking with children in parks, going to the cinema, watching performances in theaters. The day before, on Saturday, the 21st, graduation parties were held for high school students ... But already in the evening of that day, the first disturbing news came to the military: at about nine o'clock in the evening, a German defector soldier, Corporal Alfred Liskov, swam across the Bug River and surrendered to the Soviet border guards of the 90th border detachment. An anti-fascist by conviction, he warned the Soviet command about the impending attack, which he himself learned about a few hours ago. Alfred even named the exact time of the start of hostilities: 4 am, June 22.

On the eve of the war On June 22, at 02:30-03:00, German Ambassador to the USSR Friedrich-Werner von der Schulenburg made a statement in the office of the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V. M. Molotov, accusing the Soviet government of pursuing a hostile policy of the USSR towards Germany, as well as of that the Union "illegally concentrated all its troops on the border with Germany and brought them to full combat readiness." "The Führer ordered the German armed forces to confront this threat with all the means at their disposal" - these were the final words of Schulenburg. At about the same time (04:00 am), the Soviet ambassador to Germany received an official note declaring war from German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. It was a belated procedure, by that time the war had already begun ...

Technological maps of lessons were developed in accordance with the textbook "History of Russia. Beginning of XX - beginning of XXI century. Grade 10" by O. V. Volobueva, S. P. Karpachev, P. N. Romanov, the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of secondary general education and historical and cultural standard. The manual provides the content of the course, determines the sequence of studying the educational material, reflects the planned subject, meta-subject, personal learning outcomes, types of educational and cognitive activities of students, as well as forms of control. The manual will help the teacher organize the educational process and significantly reduce the time to prepare for the lesson. The materials of the manual are exemplary (1 lesson - 1 academic hour), the teacher can supplement them at his own discretion, based on the tasks set, the level of students' preparation and taking into account the school component.

3 hours 15 minutes At this time, German artillery opened fire along the entire line of the Soviet-German border, while hundreds of aircraft attacked military and civilian targets at the same time. Many peaceful cities also fell under the blow of German aviation, among them - Murmansk, Riga, Minsk, Smolensk, Kyiv, etc. Already at 03:17, the General Staff of the Red Army received the first news from Sevastopol about the beginning of the bombing of the city by German aircraft: as early as 03: On 06, the chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet, Rear Admiral Ivan Eliseev, gave the order to open fire in advance on enemy aircraft that had violated the airspace of the USSR and were approaching the southern borders of the country.

Bialystok-Minsk battle The fighting that began at dawn on the central sector of the Soviet-German front was called the Belostok-Minsk battle, which ended a week later for the Soviet army with a heavy defeat and the loss of the city of Minsk. The news of the beginning of the war came as a complete surprise to the Soviet leadership and caused obvious confusion. The Soviet troops lacked the experience and organization to effectively resist the well-coordinated German machine. The tank counterattacks of our army, inflicted on the afternoon of June 22, also did not bring significant success.

The workbook is part of the CMD on the history of Russia I.L. Andreeva, L.M. Lyashenko, O.V. Volobuev and others and corresponds to the Federal State Educational Standard of basic general education and the historical and cultural standard. The structure of the workbook corresponds to the structure of the textbook for grade 10 by O.V. Volobueva, S.P. Karpachev, P.N. Romanova. The notebook contains a variety of tasks: tests, writing an essay, working with a historical map, matching dates and events, etc. and adapted for training students for the OGE and the USE. Special signs mark tasks aimed at the formation of meta-subject skills (planning activities, highlighting various features, comparing, classifying, establishing cause-and-effect relationships, transforming information, etc.) and personal qualities of students.

Image from website mytravelbook.org

Defense of the Brest Fortress On the same morning (05:00), the Germans brought down heavy artillery fire on the Brest Fortress. in the very first minutes of the attack by the Wehrmacht troops, Soviet soldiers suffered heavy losses. After the end of the artillery preparation, the Germans launched an active offensive, and only infantry formations were supposed to storm the fortress, without the participation of tanks and heavy equipment. It took about 8 hours to take the fortress. The defenders of the fortress held it for almost a month: the Red Army soldiers, divided into separate detachments, repulsed the attacks and successfully held the defense. But after the involvement of German aviation, the resistance of the Soviet soldiers began to weaken and the Germans managed to finally suppress it.

Molotov's speech At noon, a historic speech by People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.M. Molotov. It was then that the whole country learned about the German attack on the Soviet Union. During this speech, Molotov called the war with Germany the "Great Patriotic War" for the first time. Addressing the Soviet people, he utters his famous phrase: “Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours!". I.V. Stalin made such an appeal only in July, after the military-political situation of the outbreak of war had become clearer.

end of doomsday By the evening of June 22, the depth of advance of the German troops was from 20 to 70 km. Almost along the entire line of the state border, the German troops managed to break through the Soviet defenses and destroy the command and control system. Wehrmacht troops were encouraged by such rapid successes on the very first day of the war. It seemed to them that they would defeat the Soviet Union without much difficulty. The Red Army had a more difficult task to regroup and prevent the further advance of the Germans to the capital - Moscow. There were still 1417 days of war ahead...

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The workshop is designed to organize independent educational and cognitive activities of high school students when studying the course of the history of Russia (Grade 10). It can also be used to organize educational activities in the lesson within the framework of the basic history course, as an elective course, a system of lessons at the profile level of studying the subject, additional classes in preparation for passing the exam. This manual contributes to expanding the scope of the content of the basic historical course, creating conditions for students to develop certain research skills in working with a historical source, and improving the ability to formulate their own reasoned position.

June 22, 1941. 1st day of the war

The day before, June 21, at 13:00. German troops received the prearranged signal "Dortmund". It meant that the offensive according to the Barbarossa plan should begin the next day at 3 hours 30 minutes.

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 NPO of the USSR was issued and transmitted to the western military districts on the night of June 22: “During June 22-23, 1941, a sudden 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, Kyiv 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 to operate on the territory of the USSR in the border zone, violating communication lines.

At 3 o'clock. 30 minutes. along the entire length of the Western border of the USSR, the Germans began artillery and aviation training, after which the 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 regions of the USSR.

At 4 o'clock. 10 min. The Western and Baltic Special Districts reported on the start of hostilities by German troops in the land areas 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 in the morning, German aviation, without any reason, raided our airfields and cities along the western border and bombarded them.
At the same time, German troops opened artillery fire in different places and crossed our border ... The troops should use all their forces and means to attack the enemy forces 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 Kyiv Special - into the South-Western.

The beginning of the defense of the Liepaja naval base.

In the evening, Directive No. 3 of the NPO of the USSR was issued signed by Timoshenko, Malenkov, Zhukov, ordering the fronts to destroy the enemy with powerful counterattacks, "regardless of the state border."

The offensive of the German troops took the enemy by surprise ... everywhere we easily managed to capture bridges over water barriers and break through the border fortifications to the full depth ... After the initial “tetanus” caused by the suddenness of the attack, the enemy proceeded to active operations ... Our advancing divisions everywhere where the enemy tried to resistance, threw it back and advanced with the battle an average of 10-12 km! Thus, the way to mobile connections is open.

June 23, 1941. 2nd day of the war

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

June 24, 1941. 3rd day of the war

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

The Leningrad Military District was reorganized into the Northern Front.

June 25, 1941. 4th day of the war

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

The air forces of the Northern Front and the aviation units of the Northern and Red Banner Baltic Fleets simultaneously attacked 19 airfields in Finland, on which formations of Nazi and Finnish aviation were concentrated for operations against our targets. Having made about 250 sorties, the Soviet pilots destroyed many aircraft and other enemy military equipment on the airfields that day.

The Odessa Military District was reorganized into the Southern Front.

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

Enemy attempts to break through on the Brodsky and Lvov directions are met with strong opposition ...

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

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

June 26, 1941. 5th day of the war

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

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

The fights continue.

Large and fierce tank battles are going on in the Lutsk direction throughout the day, with a clear advantage on the side of our troops ...

Army Group South is slowly advancing, unfortunately suffering significant losses. The enemy, acting against Army Group South, has a firm and energetic leadership ...

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

Army Group North, surrounding individual enemy groups, continues to systematically move east.

June 27, 1941. 6th day of the war

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

During the day, our troops in the Shaulyai, Vilensky and Baranovichi directions continued to retreat to positions prepared for defense, lingering for battle at intermediate lines ...
On the entire sector of the front from Przemysl to the Black Sea, our troops firmly hold the state border.

June 28, 1941. 7th day of the war

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

... In the Lutsk direction, a large tank battle unfolded during the day, in which up to 4,000 tanks participate from both sides. The tank battle continues.
In the region of Lviv, stubborn intense battles with the enemy are going on, during which our troops inflict a significant defeat on him ...

June 29, 1941. 8th day of the war

• 8th day of the defense of the Brest Fortress.
• 8th, last, day of the Border Battles.
• 7th, last, day of the tank battle in the area of ​​Lutsk - Brody - Rivne.
• 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 the enemy’s mobile units to influence the flanks and rear of our troops, retreating as a result of the fighting in the Siauliai, Keidany, Panevezh, Kaunas regions to new positions, 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, Smolensk turned out to be thwarted ...

Heavy fighting is still going on at the front of Army Group South. On the right flank of the 1st Panzer Group, the 8th Russian Panzer Corps penetrated deep into our position ... This wedging of the enemy, obviously, caused a lot of confusion in our rear in the area between Brody and Dubno ... Separate groups are also operating in the rear of the 1st Panzer Group the enemy with tanks, which are even advancing for considerable distances... The situation in the Dubno region is very tense...

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

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

June 30, 1941. 9th day of the war

• 9th day of the 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 in Leningrad began.

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 mechanized units ...
In the Minsk and Baranovichi directions, our troops are engaged in stubborn battles with the superior forces of the enemy’s mobile troops, 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 the Army Group "Center" part of the encircled enemy grouping broke through between Minsk and Slonim through the front of the Guderian tank group ... On the front of the Army Group "North" the enemy launched a counterattack in the Riga region and wedged into our location ... An increase in enemy aviation activity in front of the front was noted army group "South" and in front of the Romanian front ... On the side of the enemy, already completely outdated types of four-engine aircraft are operating.

Sources

• 1941 - M.: MF "Democracy", 1998
• History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945. Volume 2. - M.: Military Publishing, 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