The biggest battles of the Second World War. Major battles of World War II

World War II, Great Patriotic War. It was the most brutal and bloody war in human history.

During this massacre, more than 60 million citizens of different countries of the world died. Historian scientists have calculated that every war month, an average of 27 thousand tons of bombs and shells fell on the heads of military and civilians on both sides of the front!

Let's remember today, on Victory Day, the 10 most formidable battles of World War II.

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It was the largest air battle in history. The Germans' goal was to gain air superiority over the British Royal Air Force in order to invade the British Isles without opposition. The battle was fought exclusively by combat aircraft of the opposing sides. Germany lost 3,000 of its pilots, England - 1,800 pilots. Over 20,000 British civilians were killed. Germany's defeat in this battle is considered one of the decisive moments in World War II - it did not allow the elimination of the USSR's Western allies, which subsequently led to the opening of a second front.

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The longest long battle of World War II. During naval battles, German submarines attempted to sink Soviet and British supply ships and warships. The Allies responded in kind. Everyone understood the special significance of this battle - on the one hand, Western weapons and equipment were supplied to the Soviet Union by sea, on the other hand, Britain was supplied with everything necessary mainly by sea - the British needed up to a million tons of all kinds of materials and food in order to survive and continue the fight . The cost of the victory of the members of the anti-Hitler coalition in the Atlantic was enormous and terrible - about 50,000 of its sailors died, and the same number of German sailors lost their lives.

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This battle began after German troops, at the end of World War II, made a desperate (and, as history shows, last) attempt to turn the tide of hostilities in their favor, organizing an offensive operation against Anglo-American troops in the mountainous and wooded areas of Belgium under the code called Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine). Despite all the experience of British and American strategists, the massive German attack took the Allies by surprise. However, the offensive ultimately failed. Germany lost more than 100 thousand of its soldiers and officers killed in this operation, and the Anglo-American allies lost about 20 thousand military personnel killed.

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Marshal Zhukov wrote in his memoirs: “When people ask me what I remember most from the last war, I always answer: the battle for Moscow.” Hitler considered the capture of Moscow, the capital of the USSR and the largest Soviet city, as one of the main military and political goals of Operation Barbarossa. In German and Western military history it is known as "Operation Typhoon". This battle is divided into two periods: defensive (September 30 - December 4, 1941) and offensive, which consists of 2 stages: counteroffensive (December 5-6, 1941 - January 7-8, 1942) and the general offensive of Soviet troops (January 7-10 - April 20, 1942). The losses of the USSR were 926.2 thousand people, the losses of Germany were 581 thousand people.

LANDING OF THE ALLIES IN NORMANDY, OPENING OF THE SECOND FRONT (FROM JUNE 6, 1944 TO JULY 24, 1944)

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This battle, which became part of Operation Overlord, marked the beginning of the deployment of a strategic group of Anglo-American allied forces in Normandy (France). British, American, Canadian and French units took part in the invasion. The landing of the main forces from Allied warships was preceded by a massive bombardment of German coastal fortifications and the landing of paratroopers and gliders on the positions of selected Wehrmacht units. Allied Marines landed on five beaches. Considered one of the largest amphibious operations in history. Both sides lost more than 200 thousand of their troops.

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The last strategic offensive operation of the armed forces of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War turned out to be one of the bloodiest. It became possible as a result of a strategic breakthrough of the German front by units of the Red Army carrying out the Vistula-Oder offensive operation. It ended with complete victory over Nazi Germany and the surrender of the Wehrmacht. During the battles for Berlin, the losses of our army amounted to more than 80 thousand soldiers and officers, the Nazis lost 450 thousand of their military personnel.

The Second World War was the bloodiest and most brutal military conflict in the entire history of mankind and the only one in which nuclear weapons were used. 61 states took part in it. The dates of the beginning and end of this war are among the most significant for the entire civilized world. The causes of the Second World War were the imbalance of power in the world and the problems provoked by the results of the First World War, in particular territorial disputes. The winners of the First World War, the USA, England, and France, concluded the Treaty of Versailles on conditions that were most unfavorable and humiliating for the losing countries, Turkey and Germany, which provoked an increase in tension in the world. At the same time, adopted in the late 1930s by England and France, the policy of appeasing the aggressor made it possible for Germany to sharply increase its military potential, which accelerated the Nazis’ transition to active military action.

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

By the end of September 1941, the Wehrmacht overcame the resistance of Soviet troops in the Battle of Smolensk. Having secretly concentrated more than half of the troops on the Soviet-German front, the Germans launched an attack on Moscow.

The Center Group began to implement the carefully developed Typhoon plan. The Germans managed to break through the heavily extended defenses of the Soviet troops and, wedged deep into the rear, encircled two Soviet armies near Bryansk and four near Vyazma. More than 660 thousand soldiers were captured.

Every day the situation near Moscow became more and more dramatic. Hitler's troops came close to the city.

By the beginning of December 1941, the Germans managed to reach the Moscow-Volga Canal and, having crossed it, occupy Khimki. From the east, the Germans crossed the Nara River and reached Kashira. On October 8, the State Defense Committee decided to evacuate a significant part of government institutions and enterprises. The creation of a militia began in Moscow, and the city went into a state of siege.

Despite the difficult situation at the front, on November 7, 1941, a military parade took place on Red Square. Stalin made a patriotic speech. This made a tremendous impression on Soviet citizens, instilling in them confidence in victory. From the parade the troops went to the front line.

The troops were tasked with defeating the strike forces of the Army Center and eliminating the threat of the capture of Moscow.

This came as a complete surprise to the German command. During this offensive, German troops were driven back 120-150 km from the capital.

During December, they lost over 120 thousand soldiers and officers killed. The Red Army liberated the cities of Kaluga and Tver.

For the first time in all previous military campaigns, fascist troops suffered such losses. The myth of their invincibility was dispelled before the whole world near Moscow.

The Battle of Stalingrad July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943, which marked a radical turning point in the war.

The Battle of Stalingrad, one of the greatest battles of the Great Patriotic War, was a turning point during the Second World War. Interest in Stalingrad does not wane, and the debate among researchers continues. Stalingrad is a city that has become a symbol of suffering and pain, which has become a symbol of the greatest courage. Stalingrad will remain for centuries in the memory of mankind. The Battle of Stalingrad is conventionally divided into two periods: defensive and offensive. The defensive period began on July 17, 1942 and ended on November 18, 1942. The offensive period began with a Soviet counteroffensive on November 19, 1942 and ended with victorious salvoes on February 2, 1943. At certain stages, more than 2 million people took part in the battle.

The Battle of Stalingrad surpassed all previous battles in world history in terms of the duration and ferocity of the fighting, the number of people and military equipment involved. It unfolded over a vast territory of 100 thousand km2. At certain stages, more than 2 million people, more than 2 thousand tanks, more than 2 thousand aircraft, 26 thousand guns took part in it on both sides. The results of the battle surpassed all previous ones. During its time, the Soviet armed forces defeated five enemy armies: two German, two Romanian and one Italian. The Nazi troops lost up to 1.5 million soldiers and officers and a large amount of military equipment, weapons and equipment killed, wounded, and captured.

The Motherland highly appreciated the historical feat of Stalingrad. It was awarded the title of hero city. 55 formations and units that distinguished themselves in the Battle of Stalingrad were awarded orders.

The Battle of Stalingrad ended, the historical significance of which was recognized by the whole world. Stalingrad lay in ruins. The total material damage exceeded 9 billion rubles. And it was quite understandable that people wanted to see it revived and not just a city for residents, but a monument city, in stone and bronze, with an edifying lesson in retribution to the enemy, a city of eternal memory for its fallen defenders. Every Stalingrad family suffered - 300 thousand civilians were evacuated, 75 thousand people fought in militias and fighter battalions, 43 thousand people died during enemy air raids and artillery shelling, 50 thousand people were wounded, forced into forced labor in 46 thousand people were kidnapped in Germany.

The revival of the hero city became a significant milestone in the history of the people and the country.

Battle of Kursk July 5 - August 23, 1943, during which the largest tank battle of World War II took place near the village of Prokhorovka.

The Battle of Kursk occupies a special place in the Great Patriotic War. It lasted 50 days and nights, from July 5 to August 23, 1943. This battle has no equal in its ferocity and tenacity of struggle.

The general plan of the German command was to encircle and destroy the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts defending in the Kursk area. If successful, it was planned to expand the offensive front and regain the strategic initiative. To implement his plans, the enemy concentrated powerful strike forces.

The Soviet command decided to first bleed the enemy's strike forces in defensive battles and then launch a counteroffensive. The battle that began immediately took on a grand scale and was extremely tense. Our troops did not flinch. They faced avalanches of enemy tanks and infantry with unprecedented tenacity and courage. The advance of enemy strike forces was suspended. Only at the cost of huge losses did he manage to wedge into our defenses in some areas. On the Central Front - 10-12 km, on Voronezh - up to 35 km. The largest oncoming tank battle of the entire Second World War near Prokhorovka finally buried Hitler’s Operation Citadel. It happened on July 12. 1,200 tanks and self-propelled guns simultaneously participated in it on both sides. This battle was won by Soviet soldiers. The Nazis, having lost up to 400 tanks during the day of battle, were forced to abandon the offensive.

On July 12, the second stage of the Battle of Kursk began - the counteroffensive of Soviet troops. On August 5, Soviet troops liberated the cities of Orel and Belgorod. On the evening of August 5, in honor of this major success, a victorious salute was given in Moscow for the first time in two years of war. From that time on, artillery salutes constantly announced the glorious victories of Soviet weapons. On August 23, Kharkov was liberated. Thus the Battle of the Kursk Arc of Fire ended victoriously. military bloody tank Kursk

The Battle of Berlin - which led to the surrender of Germany.

In the second half of April 1945, the Red Army dealt the final blow to Nazi Germany and its armed forces.

The troops of the Belorussian, Ukrainian 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts from the line of the Oder and Neisse rivers launched a grandiose offensive against Army Group Vistula and the left wing of Army Group Center, which was covering Berlin. Troops of the 1st and 2nd Polish armies also took part in the Berlin operation. 41,600 guns and mortars, more than 6,250 tanks and self-propelled guns, and 7,500 aircraft took part in the assault on Berlin from the Soviet side.

The German armies covering Berlin included about a million soldiers and officers, 10,400 guns and mortars, over 1,500 tanks and assault guns and 3,300 aircraft. In the face of a terrible danger, the Nazi command concentrated its forces in the east against the Red Army advancing along the entire front. In addition, the Nazis were looking for ways to avoid disaster diplomatically. To this end, they tried to start negotiations with the United States and England to conclude a separate peace. However, these attempts were not successful. Nothing could save Hitler's Germany and its army from complete defeat.

Troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front reached Berlin from the south and southwest. On the night of April 25, in cooperation with the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, they completed the complete encirclement of the Berlin enemy group. On the same day, troops of the 5th Guards Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front reached the Elbe River and in the Torgau area came into contact with units of the 1st American Army. For ten days there were fierce riots on the streets of the capital of Nazi Germany. 8th Guards Army under the command of General V.I. Chuikov, the troops of the 3rd Shock Army under the command of General V.I. Kuznetsov fought their way towards each other to unite in the Reichstag area.

The Berlin enemy group was divided into four isolated parts. At dawn on April 30, Soviet soldiers, who had captured the central region of Berlin, launched an assault on the Reichstag. The fascist leaders were completely at a loss. Some of them fled from Berlin, others committed suicide. On the afternoon of April 30, Hitler himself committed suicide.

At 18 o'clock on the same day, as a result of a swift attack, Soviet soldiers found themselves at the Reichstag building.

The troops of the 2nd and 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts in early May reached the line Wismar - Schwerin - Wittegburg - Elbe to Meissen, and along its entire length came into contact with the Anglo-American troops advancing from west.

The significance of World War II for the Soviet Union is enormous. The defeat of the Nazis determined the future history of the country. As a result of the conclusion of the peace treaties that followed the defeat of Germany, the USSR noticeably expanded its borders. At the same time, the totalitarian system was strengthened in the Union. Communist regimes were established in some European countries. Victory in the war did not save the USSR from the mass repressions that followed in the 50s.

It is not easy to compile a list of the most important battles in the history of World War 2. Every battle, every inch of land inhabited by the enemy brought the Allies closer to victory over Nazism, no matter where the battle took place and how large it was. The feat of every war-liberator is equally priceless.

And yet, we tried to highlight the 10 largest and most significant battles of World War II, the outcome of which significantly influenced the further course of the war.

TOP 12 most powerful battles of World War II(list sorted chronologically):

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1. Battle of the Atlantic

(September 1, 1939 - May 1945)

US Navy ship USS Spencer. During the Second World War, he sank several German submarines. Was a convoy ship.

And although this battle cannot be called the most massive and bloody, its significance was very high. For Germany, the purpose of this battle was to disrupt Allied communications in the Atlantic. First of all, for the weakening of Great Britain.

During the battles, the German fleet tried to sink all possible Allied ships, from military to transport and food. Germany's main weapon was submarines; they proved themselves successful from the very beginning of the battles. During World War II, Germany built more than a thousand submarines of various types, which dominated the Atlantic until the spring of 1943.

By this time, despite the colossal losses, the Allies were still trying to improve the protection of their communications, as well as increase the number of anti-submarine forces. This made it possible to break the dominance of German troops in the waters of the Atlantic.

Already from mid-1944, Allied dominance in the Atlantic was obvious. Germany suffered defeat not only on land, but also at sea. The opening of a second front forced the enemy to go on the defensive.

The losses of the sides during the Battle of the Atlantic vary in many sources. Germany lost more than 30 thousand people and 789 submarines in submariners alone. On the other hand, 179 Allied warships and 2,828 ships were sunk by German forces.

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(10 May – 25 June 1940)

This is a successful operation by the Axis countries of the Nazi bloc to seize the Benelux countries, as well as France, with the goal of complete domination in Europe. German troops used rapid warfare tactics, during which the armies of Belgium, the Netherlands and France were completely defeated in a short period of time with the help of a massive attack.

Allied losses during the French campaign amounted to more than 112 thousand killed, 245 thousand wounded and 1.5 prisoners. The Wehrmacht troops lost about 45 thousand people killed and about 110 thousand people were wounded.

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(9 July – 30 October 1940)

It was a nearly four-month battle for air supremacy between the Wehrmacht and the British armed forces. The Germans aimed to gain air superiority over the British Isles in order to subsequently provide air cover for the bombing of British territory and the ground operation to invade Great Britain.

On the part of the Third Reich, the main forces were Messerschmitt fighters of the Bf.109E and Bf.110C modifications, which in many respects were superior to the British Hurricane Mk I and Spitfire Mk I. Nevertheless, the Germans failed this battle, losing about 3 thousands of its pilots. The British lost 1,800 pilots in the battle and about 120,000 islanders were killed in bombing raids. Also, German bombs destroyed at least 2 million buildings and structures.

The British victory in this battle strengthened the morale of the British soldiers and inspired the Allies. By the end of the battle, the Germans realized that their plan had failed and redeployed their forces to the opened eastern direction - the USSR.

The Second World War was fought on the territory of 40 countries, and 72 states took part in it. In 1941, Germany had the strongest army in the world, but several critical battles led to the Third Reich's defeat.

Battle of Moscow (blitzkrieg failure)

The Battle of Moscow showed that the German blitzkrieg failed. In total, more than 7 million people took part in this battle. This is more than the Berlin operation, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest battle of World War II, and more than the enemy forces on the western front after the Normandy landings.

The Battle of Moscow was the only major battle of World War II that was lost by the Wehrmacht despite its overall numerical superiority over the enemy.

Moscow was defended “by the whole world.” Thus, the feat of the senior groom of the village of Lishnyagi, Serebryano-Prudsky district, Ivan Petrovich Ivanov, who on December 11, 1941 repeated the feat of Ivan Susanin, having led a German convoy of 40 vehicles into the deep ravine “Belgorod Pines”, has remained in history.

The victory over the enemy was also helped by a simple teacher from Krasnaya Polyana, Elena Gorokhova, who informed the Red Army command about the redeployment of German units with long-range artillery batteries.

As a result of the counter-offensive near Moscow and the general offensive, German units were thrown back 100-250 km. The Tula, Ryazan and Moscow regions, and many areas of the Kalinin, Smolensk and Oryol regions were completely liberated.

General Günter Blumentritt wrote: “It was now important for German political leaders to understand that the days of the blitzkrieg were a thing of the past. We were confronted by an army whose fighting qualities were far superior to all other armies we had ever encountered on the battlefield. But it should be said that the German army also demonstrated high moral fortitude in overcoming all the disasters and dangers that befell it.”

Battle of Stalingrad (radical turning point)

The Battle of Stalingrad was the main turning point of World War II. The Soviet military command made it clear: there is no land beyond the Volga. The assessments of this battle and the losses that Stalingrad suffered from foreign historians are interesting.

The book “Operation Survive,” published in 1949 and written by the famous American publicist Hessler, who is difficult to suspect of a pro-Russian position, stated: “According to the very realistic scientist Dr. Philip Morrison, it would take at least 1000 atomic bombs to harm Russia the damage caused during the Stalingrad campaign alone... This is significantly more than the number of bombs that we accumulated after four years of tireless efforts.”

The Battle of Stalingrad was a fight for survival.

The beginning was made on August 23, 1942, when German aircraft carried out a massive bombing of the city. 40,000 people died. This exceeds the official figures for the Allied air raid on Dresden in February 1945 (25,000 casualties).

In Stalingrad, the Red Army used revolutionary innovations of psychological pressure on the enemy. From the loudspeakers installed at the front line, favorite hits of German music were heard, which were interrupted by messages about the victories of the Red Army in sections of the Stalingrad Front. The most effective means of psychological pressure was the monotonous beat of the metronome, which was interrupted after 7 beats by a comment in German: “Every 7 seconds one German soldier dies at the front.” At the end of a series of 10-20 “timer reports,” a tango sounded from the loudspeakers.

During the Stalingrad operation, the Red Army managed to create the so-called “Stalingrad cauldron”. On November 23, 1942, the troops of the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts closed the encirclement ring, which contained almost 300,000 enemy forces.

In Stalingrad, one of Hitler’s “favorites,” Marshal Paulus, was captured and became a field marshal during the Battle of Stalingrad. By the beginning of 1943, Paulus's 6th Army was a pitiful sight. On January 8, the Soviet military command addressed the German military leader with an ultimatum: if he does not surrender by 10 o’clock the next day, all the Germans in the “cauldron” will be destroyed. Paulus did not react to the ultimatum. On January 31 he was captured. Subsequently, he became one of the USSR's allies in the Cold War propaganda war.

In early February 1943, units and formations of the 4th Luftwaffe Air Fleet received the password “Orlog”. It meant that the 6th Army no longer existed, and the Battle of Stalingrad ended in the defeat of Germany.

Battle of Kursk (transition of initiative to the Red Army)

The victory in the battles on the Kursk Bulge was of cardinal importance due to a number of factors. After Stalingrad, the Wehrmacht had another chance to change the situation on the Eastern Front in its favor; Hitler had high hopes for Operation Citadel and stated that “The victory at Kursk should serve as a torch for the whole world.”

The Soviet command also understood the importance of these battles. It was important for the Red Army to prove that it could win victories not only during winter campaigns, but also in summer, so not only the military, but also the civilian population invested in the victory at Kursk. In record time, in 32 days, a railway was built connecting Rzhava and Stary Oskol, called the “road of courage.” Thousands of people worked day and night on its construction.

The turning point in the Battle of Kursk was the Battle of Prokhorovka. The largest tank battle in history, over 1,500 tanks.

Memories of that battle still boggle the mind. It was real hell.

The commander of the tank brigade, Grigory Penezhko, who received the Hero of the Soviet Union for this battle, recalls: “We lost the sense of time, did not feel thirst, heat, or even blows in the cramped cabin of the tank. One thought, one desire - while you are alive, beat the enemy. Our tankers, who got out of their wrecked vehicles, searched the field for enemy crews, who were also left without equipment, and beat them with pistols, grappling hand-to-hand...”

After Prokhorovka, our troops launched a decisive offensive. Operations “Kutuzov” and “Rumyantsev” allowed the liberation of Belgorod and Orel, and Kharkov was liberated on August 23.

Oil is called the “blood of war.” From the very beginning of the war, one of the general routes of the German offensive was directed towards the Baku oil fields. Controlling them was a priority for the Third Reich.
The Battle of the Caucasus was marked by air battles in the skies over the Kuban, which became one of the largest air battles of World War II. For the first time in history, Soviet pilots imposed their will on the Luftwaffe and actively interfered with and opposed the Germans in carrying out their combat missions. From May 26 to June 7, the Red Army Air Force conducted 845 sorties against Nazi airfields in Anapa, Kerch, Saki, Sarabuz and Taman. In total, during the battles in the skies of Kuban, Soviet aviation carried out about 35 thousand sorties.

It was for the battles over Kuban that Alexander Pokryshkin, the future three-time Hero of the Soviet Union and an air marshal, was awarded the first Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

On September 9, 1943, the last operation of the battle for the Caucasus began - Novorossiysk-Taman. Within a month, German troops on the Taman Peninsula were defeated. As a result of the offensive, the cities of Novorossiysk and Anapa were liberated, and the prerequisites were created for a landing operation in Crimea. In honor of the liberation of the Taman Peninsula on October 9, 1943, a salute of 20 salvos from 224 guns was given in Moscow.

Operation of the Ardennes (disruption of the “last blitzkrieg” of the Wehrmacht)

The Battle of the Bulge is called “the last blitzkrieg of the Wehrmacht.” This was the last attempt of the Third Reich to turn the tide on the Western Front. The operation was commanded by Field Marshal V. Model, who ordered it to begin on the morning of December 16, 1944; by December 25, the Germans had advanced 90 km deep into the enemy’s defenses.

However, the Germans did not know that the Allied defenses were deliberately weakened so that when the Germans broke through to the West 100 kilometers, they would be surrounded and attacked from the flanks. The Wehrmacht did not foresee this maneuver.
The Allies knew about the Ardennes operation in advance, since they could read the German Ultra codes. In addition, aerial reconnaissance reported on the movements of German troops.

Despite the fact that the Allies initially had the initiative, the Germans were well prepared for the Ardennes. The timing of the offensive was chosen to ensure that Allied aircraft could not provide air support. The Germans also resorted to a trick: they dressed everyone who knew English in American uniforms and, under the leadership of Otto Skorzeny, created assault troops from them so that they would sow panic in the American rear.
Some of the Panthers were disguised as American tanks; they had bulwarks attached, muzzle brakes were removed from the guns, the turrets were covered with sheet metal, and large white stars were painted on the armor.

With the beginning of the offensive, the “false panthers” rushed to the rear of the American troops, but the Germans’ cunning was “seen through” due to stupidity. One of the Germans asked for gas and said “petroleum” instead of “gas”. The Americans didn't say that. The saboteurs were discovered, and their cars were burned with bazookas.

In American historiography, the Battle of the Bulge is called the Battle of the Bulge. By January 29, the Allies completed the operation and began the invasion of Germany.

The Wehrmacht lost more than a third of its armored vehicles in the battles, and almost all the aircraft (including jets) participating in the operation used up fuel and ammunition. The only “profit” for Germany from the Ardennes operation was that it delayed the Allied offensive on the Rhine for six weeks: it had to be postponed to January 29, 1945.

World War II, Great Patriotic War. It was the most brutal and bloody war in human history.

Let's remember today, on Victory Day, the 10 most formidable battles of World War II.

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LANDING OF THE ALLIES IN NORMANDY, OPENING OF THE SECOND FRONT (FROM JUNE 6, 1944 TO JULY 24, 1944)

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