75th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad history. Anniversary “75 years of the Victory of Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad”

A grandiose parade was held in Volgograd: hundreds of military personnel, dozens of pieces of equipment, and for the first time aviation - all this in honor of the 75th anniversary of the significant victory in one of the most important and turning point battles of the entire Great Patriotic War - the Battle of Stalingrad.

The Wehrmacht troops were given the task of taking the city at any cost. The best forces were deployed to the banks of the Volga, but they failed to break the heroic resistance of the Soviet troops. Moreover, Germany and its allies suffered colossal losses, from which they were unable to recover until the end of the war. Vladimir Putin is also taking part in the celebrations in Volgograd today; he flew into the city this afternoon.

The square is marked with the steps of units of the 8th Guards Army, which was formed on the basis of the famous Stalingrad 62nd Army of Chuikov. And the same battalion commanders and company commanders who are now ahead of the crews, in 1942, on these very streets, led their soldiers into battle.

“With a feeling of sorrow for my comrades who don’t see all this. How many of them lie on our land! I carried the wounded under fire. And I received my first medal, “For Courage,” at the age of 17. They thought that a drunk was driving the car, but it was me: for the first time in my life I got behind the wheel of a car and brought the wounded,” said Great Patriotic War veteran Vladimir Miller.

“As part of the 925th Infantry Regiment of the Don Front, he took part in the liberation of the Battle of Stalingrad as an infantry platoon commander. I'm from Siberia. He was seriously wounded in battle,” recalls Great Patriotic War veteran Viktor Sakharovsky.

In the winter of 1943, it was 30 degrees below zero in Stalingrad, and it’s not difficult to imagine what the city’s defenders looked like then. Part of the ceremonial crews in the uniform of the Great Patriotic War: white camouflage suits, pea coats and overcoats.

Under the tracks of T-90 tanks and Msta self-propelled artillery mounts, the earth is literally shaking. Volgograd residents see much of the military equipment live for the first time, including the most famous S-400 Triumph and Iskander anti-aircraft missile systems, which have no analogues in the world.

For the first time, several dozen planes and helicopters flew directly over the square, at the lowest possible altitudes, saluting the hero city.

After 200 days of almost continuous fighting, the fascist army suffered a stunning defeat in Stalingrad. The Wehrmacht lost more than a million people killed and wounded. A 300,000-strong German group found itself in the shrinking ring of our troops. For the first time in the world history of wars, 23 generals and one field marshal surrendered. And on February 2, 1943, the word “Stalingrad” sounded in all languages ​​of the world. Here they defeated not only the powerful fascist army, but also the myth of the invincibility of the Wehrmacht.

The legendary Mamaev Kurgan. More than 40 thousand defenders of Stalingrad. Vladimir Putin came to Volgograd today to honor the memory of the fallen. The head of state laid flowers at the grave of the twice hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal Vasily Chuikov, and a wreath at the Eternal Flame in the Hall of Military Glory.

Already in the concert hall, the president congratulated the veterans, participants in the Battle of Stalingrad and the children of wartime Stalingrad who had gathered there on this significant date.

“The triumph of our army and our people ended the greatest battle of the Great Patriotic War, the Second World War, and in the entire history of mankind there have been no such battles. A battle that has gone down in human history as the most brutal and bloodiest. Our country stood up to the enemy as an indestructible stronghold. Unyielding Stalingrad has risen. It was as if Soviet soldiers had grown into the wounded land and turned every street, trench, house, and firing point into an impregnable fortress. Its inhabitants fought for the city with the same valor. This united resistance, readiness for self-sacrifice, spiritual power were truly invincible, incomprehensible, incomprehensible and terrible for the enemy,” the president said.

Vladimir Putin emphasized that for the whole world, the Battle of Stalingrad became the embodiment of courage and bravery not only of the participants in the battle, but also of the entire country.

“We must be equal in our actions to the achievements of our fathers and grandfathers, just as they deservedly strive to achieve their goals, achieve more than we have already achieved and achieved. We were certainly proud and will continue to be proud of what has been done before us. And based on this foundation, we will move forward, only forward. Let's be strong and honest, let's lead new generations, pass on to them the great traditions of our great people. I would like to wish health, peace and happiness to all of you, dear friends, and above all to our dear veterans. Thank you and low bow for Stalingrad and the great victory,” said Vladimir Putin.

Volunteers told the President at the History Museum how the events of 75 years ago are seen by young people. Many of them work in search teams, in military archives and simply collect memories of veterans for history. Based on the documents, the guys developed an interactive quest, the participants of which find themselves in the famous Pavlov’s House during the battle. The President was asked to start a new project.

We also gave Vladimir Putin a short tour. Every year, previously unknown pages of the history of the defense of Stalingrad and the names of its defenders are revealed. Recently a note was found that was left by fighter Vasily Digin.

“I will stay in this place, I will die, but I will not surrender to the enemy. tell my wife Anna Feodorovna that I defended my Motherland as best I could. We will still win on August 30, 1942. Digin Vasily. Avenge me, guys,” the note says.

The president was also shown a unique exhibit. In 1942, the burning armored boat BK-31, already going under water, fired at the enemy. It was understood from the bottom of the Volga only a few months ago and they were amazed at the number of holes that the crew managed to seal with wooden plugs.

To mark the anniversary of the great battle, the Russian Ministry of Defense launched a special interactive section on its website, “The Battle of Stalingrad: Heroes and Feats.” It contains unique archival documents that tell how the course of World War II was turned back in the city on the Volga.

It’s impossible to list all the heroes,

Left there forever

Where it still smells like blood

Earth and iron in half.

Years will pass, then millennia,

And the whole earth will forever remember

Great victory in forty-three,

That winter day - the second of February...

Margarita Agashina

a significant event not only for our region, but also for the whole country - the round date of the end of the Battle of Stalingrad - 75 years since the defeat of the Nazi troops at Stalingrad.

In connection with this event on our blog we open new section - “To the anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad” .

Our events for the anniversary of the battle:

The eve of the Great Victory in the battle for Stalingrad. The most brutal battle of the Patriotic War lasted two hundred days and nights - a battle that determined the fate of the country and the world. The battle that claimed about three million lives and completely destroyed my city on the Volga - 75 years ago...

On this day, another class hour took place, during which they talked again and again about the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad. At the end of the class hour, we honored the memory of the heroes with a minute of silence. Then - laying flowers at the monument to those killed in the Great Patriotic War. The event ended with a festive concert, which took place at the Rodina Palace of Culture.

Ulyana V, Darina I, Egor A, Nastya K, Maxim M, Ksenia G, Slava A, Karina X and Lisa L

We went to talk about the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad to the students of grade 3 "B".

Below you can watch the guys' performances.

Thank you guys for preparing for class. This was the first experience of performing in another class.

Its first part is the information block.

Ulyana, Karina, Nastya, Darina and Egor spoke about the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad, about the stages of the battle. We watched videos about the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad and honored the memory of those killed with a minute of silence.

In the second part of the class hour, we listened to the guys who prepared poems by heart: Karina, Nastya, Ulyana, Ksenia, Elina, Maxim M, Diana, Darina.

Thanks to Ksenia, Elina, Maxim M and Diana for being imbued with respect for the memory of the fallen soldiers.

There is a memory that will not be forgotten,
And glory that will never end...

Years pass, generations change, but the memory of the feat of our compatriots who defended the freedom and independence of our Motherland lives and will always live in our hearts. Our Victory has become the personification of the unity of peoples, a symbol of national pride, military valor and glory.

We will always be deeply indebted to our heroes - those who fell on the battlefield and those who persevered in the struggle for peace. A low bow to all veterans and home front workers for our happiness in living and creating under a peaceful sky. Our main task is to become worthy of the immortal feat of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, to preserve the historical truth about those heroic years and pass it on to our children.

The Battle of Stalingrad - chronicles of the Great Victory!

Everlasting memory!

The Germans considered Stalingrad hell on Earth.

N.F. Serdyukov is buried in the village. New Rogachik (Gorodishche district, Volgograd region).

Through the roar of shots and shell explosions, the clanging of caterpillars could be heard more and more clearly. By this time, Panikaha had already used up all his grenades. He only had two bottles of flammable mixture left. He leaned out of the trench and swung, aiming the bottle at the nearest tank. At that moment, a bullet broke the bottle raised above his head. The warrior flared up like a living torch. But the hellish pain did not cloud his consciousness. He grabbed the second bottle. The tank was nearby. And everyone saw how a burning man jumped out of the trench, ran close to the fascist tank and hit the grille of the engine hatch with a bottle. An instant - and a huge flash of fire and smoke consumed the hero along with the fascist car he set on fire.
This heroic feat of Mikhail Panikakh immediately became known to all the soldiers of the 62nd Army.

His friends from the 193rd Infantry Division did not forget about this. Panikakh's friends told Demyan Bedny about his feat. The poet responded in poetry.

He fell, but his honor lives on;
The highest award for a hero
Under his name are the words:
He was the defender of Stalingrad.
In the midst of tank attacks
There was a Red Navy man named Panikakha,
They're down to the last bullet
The defense held strong.
But no match for the sea lads
Show the backs of your enemy's heads,
There are no more grenades, two left
Bottles with flammable liquid.
The hero fighter grabbed one:
“I’ll throw it at the last tank!”
Filled with ardent courage,
He stood with a raised bottle.
“One, two... I won’t miss!”
Suddenly, at that moment, like a bullet right through
The bottle of liquid was broken,
The hero was engulfed in flames.
But having become a living torch,
He did not lose his fighting spirit,
With contempt for the sharp, burning pain
Fighter hero on enemy tank
The second one rushed with the bottle.
Hooray! Fire! A puff of black smoke,
The engine hatch is engulfed in fire,
There is a wild howl in a burning tank,
The team howled and the driver,
He fell, having accomplished his feat,
Our Red Navy soldier,
But he fell like a proud winner!
To knock down the flame on your sleeve,
Chest, shoulders, head,
Burning torch avenger warrior
I didn't roll on the grass
Seek salvation in the swamp.
He burned the enemy with his fire,
Legends are written about him -
Our immortal Red Navy man.

The feat of signalman Matvey Putilov

When communication stopped on Mamayev Kurgan at the most intense moment of the battle, an ordinary signalman of the 308th Infantry Division, Matvey Putilov, went to repair the wire break. While restoring the damaged communication line, both his hands were crushed by mine fragments. Losing consciousness, he tightly clamped the ends of the wire with his teeth. Communication was restored. For this feat, Matvey was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree. His communication reel was passed on to the best signalmen of the 308th division.

A similar feat was accomplished by Vasily Titaev. During the next attack on Mamayev Kurgan, the connection was lost. He went to fix it. In the conditions of the most difficult battle this seemed impossible, but the connection worked. Titaev did not return from the mission. After the battle, he was found dead with the ends of the wire clenched in his teeth.

In October 1942, in the area of ​​the Barricades plant, signalman of the 308th Infantry Division Matvey Putilov, under enemy fire, carried out a mission to restore communications. When he was looking for the location of the broken wire, he was wounded in the shoulder by a mine fragment. Overcoming the pain, Putilov crawled to the site of the broken wire; he was wounded a second time: his arm was crushed by an enemy mine. Losing consciousness and unable to use his hand, the sergeant squeezed the ends of the wire with his teeth, and a current passed through his body. Having restored communication, Putilov died with the ends of the telephone wires clamped in his teeth.

Vasily Zaitsev

Two films have been made about the famous duel between Zaitsev and Horvald. "Angels of Death" 1992 directed by Yu.N. Ozerov, starring Fyodor Bondarchuk. And the film "Enemy at the Gates" 2001 directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, in the role of Zaitsev - Jude Law.

He was buried on Mamayev Kurgan.

Zaitsev Vasily Grigorievich (March 23, 1915 - December 15, 1991) - sniper of the 1047th Infantry Regiment (284th Infantry Division, 62nd Army, Stalingrad Front), junior lieutenant.

Born on March 23, 1915 in the village of Elino, now Agapovsky district, Chelyabinsk region, in a peasant family. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1943. Graduated from a construction technical school in Magnitogorsk. Since 1936 in the Navy. Graduated from the Military Economic School. The war found Zaitsev in the position of head of the financial department in the Pacific Fleet, in Preobrazhenye Bay.
In the battles of the Great Patriotic War from September 1942. He received a sniper rifle from the hands of the commander of his 1047th regiment, Metelev, a month later, along with the medal "For Courage". By that time, Zaitsev had killed 32 Nazis from a simple “three-line rifle”. In the period from November 10 to December 17, 1942, in the battles for Stalingrad, he killed 225 soldiers and officers of the pr-ka, including 11 snipers (among whom was Heinz Horwald). Directly on the front line, he taught sniper work to soldiers in the commanders, trained 28 snipers. In January 1943, Zaitsev was seriously wounded. Professor Filatov saved his sight in a Moscow hospital.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was awarded to Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev on February 22, 1943.

Having received the Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union in the Kremlin, Zaitsev returned to the front. He finished the war on the Dniester with the rank of captain. During the war, Zaitsev wrote two textbooks for snipers, and also invented the still used technique of sniper hunting with “sixes” - when three pairs of snipers (a shooter and an observer) cover the same battle zone with fire.
After the war he was demobilized. He worked as director of the Kyiv Machine-Building Plant. Died on December 15, 1991.
Awarded the Order of Lenin, 2 Orders of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, and medals. The ship plying along the Dnieper bears his name.

Maxim Passar, like Vasily Zaitsev, was a sniper. His surname, unusual for our ears, is translated from Nanai as “sharp eye.” Before the war he was a hunter. Immediately after the Nazi attack, Maxim volunteered to serve and studied at a sniper school. After graduation, he ended up in the 117th Infantry Regiment of the 23rd Infantry Division of the 21st Army, which on November 10, 1942 was renamed the 65th Army, 71st Guards Division. The fame of the well-aimed Nanai, who had the rare ability to see in the dark as if it were day, immediately spread throughout the regiment, and later completely crossed the front line. By October 1942, “dead eye.” was recognized as the best sniper of the Stalingrad Front, and he was also eighth in the list of the best snipers of the Red Army. By the time of the death of Maxim Passar, he had 234 killed fascists. The Germans were afraid of the sharp-shooting Nanai, calling him “the devil from the devil’s nest.” They even issued special leaflets intended for Passar personally with an offer to surrender. Maxim Passar died on January 22, 1943, having managed to kill two snipers before his death. The sniper was twice awarded the Order of the Red Star, but he received his Hero posthumously, becoming a Hero of Russia in 2010.

Yakov Pavlov

A victory that cannot be overestimated. 75 years of the Battle of Stalingrad. During the bloody battles, the Nazi troops were defeated, and this moment became a turning point in the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War.

The feat of our soldiers is remembered throughout the country. For schoolchildren, for example, they conduct “courage lessons.” But the main celebrations today, of course, are in Volgograd, where a military parade took place in the morning.

According to tradition, the first to enter the main square are the servicemen of the Honor Guard company. They bring in the Russian national flag and a copy of the Victory Banner. The 75th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad is celebrated today in Volgograd with a large-scale military parade. Considering that this day was declared a holiday in the city, thousands of people came to watch the parade.

The square is marked with the steps of units of the 8th Guards Army, which was formed on the basis of the famous Stalingrad 62nd Army of Chuikov. And the same battalion commanders and company commanders who are now ahead of the crews, in 1942, on these very streets, led their soldiers into battle.

“With a feeling of sorrow for my comrades who don’t see all this. How many of them lie on our land! I carried the wounded under fire. And I received my first medal, “For Courage,” at the age of 17. They thought that a drunk was driving the car, but it was me: for the first time in my life I got behind the wheel of a car and brought the wounded,” said Great Patriotic War veteran Vladimir Miller.

“As part of the 925th Infantry Regiment of the Don Front, he took part in the liberation of the Battle of Stalingrad as an infantry platoon commander. I'm from Siberia. He was seriously wounded in battle,” recalls Great Patriotic War veteran Viktor Sakharovsky.

In the winter of 1943, it was 30 degrees below zero in Stalingrad, and it’s not difficult to imagine what the city’s defenders looked like then. Part of the ceremonial crews in the uniform of the Great Patriotic War: white camouflage suits, pea coats and overcoats.

One and a half thousand soldiers and officers of the Volgograd garrison, cadets, cadets and members of military-patriotic clubs walk along the main square to the sounds of the orchestra.

A column of military equipment enters the square, and literally a few meters from the military vehicles is the famous department store, in the basement of which Field Marshal Paulus and his generals were captured exactly 75 years ago.

Among the guests of the parade is a veteran from Kharkov Stanislav Zozulya. He was a participant in those events.

“The railway workers were putting an end to the victory at Stalingrad. We took out 20 captured generals and Paulus. My locomotive stands on a pedestal at the Oktyabr depot as a monument,” says Great Patriotic War veteran Stanislav Zozulya.

Where thousands of captured fascists marched in Stalingrad, the most modern combat vehicles are now marching. Military equipment in Volgograd generally participates in parades only during anniversary years. This year there are 75 units here, and the earth is literally shaking under the tracks of the heavyweights. Seven T-90 tanks, Msta self-propelled artillery mounts. Volgograd residents see much of this live for the first time. Like the most famous anti-aircraft missile systems - S-400 Triumph and Iskander. They have no analogues in the world yet.

No less exciting is the aerial part of the parade. Also for the first time. Several dozen planes and helicopters flew directly over the square at the lowest possible altitudes. Shaking their wings, they also paid tribute to those who, 75 years ago here in Stalingrad, turned the tide of World War II.

February 2 is a very important date in the history of our country; today marks one of the Days of Military Glory of Russia, the Day of the defeat of Nazi troops by Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad.

75 years ago, on February 2, 1943, the troops of the Don Front completed the defeat of the enemy surrounded by the Volga.

Combat report No. 0079/op, sent on the same day, at 16.30, to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief from the headquarters of the Don Front, summed up the results of the battle that lasted two hundred days and nights: 22 selected German divisions and many support units met an inglorious end near the Volga. Among the 91 thousand captured were 2,500 officers and 22 generals. This was the finale.

“In Stalingrad,” “Red Star” commented on the expected event, “our troops smoked the last Krauts out of their holes.” The collection of prisoners of war was enriched by several more generals. After long months of battle at Stalingrad, blessed silence reigned.

The plans of the fascist German command, set for the summer of 1942, included defeating Soviet troops in the south of the country. On July 17, 1942, the first stage of the Battle of Stalingrad began. Specifically, the Nazis’ plans boiled down to the following: to seize the oil regions of the Caucasus, the rich agricultural regions of the Don and Kuban, disrupt communications connecting the center of the country with the Caucasus, and create conditions for ending the war in their favor. This task was entrusted to Army Groups “A” and “B”.

Literally four months later, Soviet troops gave a decisive rebuff to the enemy - on November 19, 1942, Soviet troops launched a counter-offensive near Stalingrad.

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The surrender of the city was then equated not only with a military, but also with an ideological defeat. Fights took place for every block, for every house; the city's central station changed hands 13 times. And yet our people and the soldiers of the Red Army were able to survive. On January 31, 1943, the commander of a group of German troops, F. Paulus, surrendered.

The 200 heroic days of the defense of Stalingrad went down in history as the bloodiest and cruelest. More than a million Soviet soldiers and officers were killed and wounded during the defense of the city. The Battle of Stalingrad was the largest land battle of World War II and one of the turning points in the military operations, after which German troops finally lost the strategic initiative.

History, no matter from which side falsifiers attack it, stores, at least in documents, the eternal and holy truth. The feat of Stalingrad is immortal. It is extremely important for the heirs of Victory to know and remember which fronts and armies fought on the outskirts and in Stalingrad itself, repelled attempts to relieve the encircled army of Paulus, and acted on the internal and external fronts of the encirclement. History without names, numbers, maps and diagrams is unthinkable.

But, perhaps, it is even more important to realize that Stalingrad for Russia is a fateful moment in its thousand-year history, a symbol of its indestructibility. At one time, Vladimir Putin said that the significance of victories such as those achieved in Stalingrad cannot be assessed in the categories of military science alone, nor can they be contained within the framework of habitual historical descriptions.

“They contain the very essence of the character of the people, they contain the honor and dignity of the nation,” says our president.

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Today, in memory of the Battle of Stalingrad, the Day of Military Glory of Russia is celebrated, and in Volgograd itself there are many historical places associated with its heroic past. But the most famous monument dedicated to the defenders of Stalingrad is “The Motherland Calls!” on Mamayev Kurgan.

Numerous Russian and foreign delegations arrived in Volgograd to participate in the festive events. The most honorable place at the festival is, of course, given to the heroes of the legendary battle - participants in the Battle of Stalingrad and veterans of the Great Patriotic War.

Relatives of the legendary military leaders of the Battle of Stalingrad also arrived at the holiday: the sons of Colonel General, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Rodimtsev and Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Vasilevsky, the daughter of Marshal and Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Eremenko.

Among the guests of honor is Anthony Skipper, Lord Mayor of the British city of Coventry. In 1944, Stalingrad and Coventry became the world's first sister cities.

Also taking part in the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Battle of Stalingrad today are delegations from Germany, Austria and Australia, members of the European Parliament, heads of partner and sister cities of Volgograd, representatives of Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Serbia, Slovenia, France, the Czech Republic , Malaysia, Iceland and other countries.

In Volgograd, Russian President Vladimir Putin will also take part in the ceremonial events. Earlier, the head of state, by his order, gave federal status to the 75th anniversary of the Stalingrad victory.

On the occasion of the celebration of the Stalingrad victory, various celebrations are planned in the hero city. This year, residents of Volgograd have more free time to attend cultural events due to the fact that the head of the region, Andrei Bocharov, declared February 2 a day off.

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“Given the special significance of the defeat of the Nazi troops by Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad for achieving victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. and in connection with the 75th anniversary of this historical event on February 2, 2018, I decide to form an organizing committee for the preparation and conduct of the celebration,” says the text of the Decree, according to which the chairman of the committee is appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Rogozin.

By the same Decree, the President instructed the Government to approve, within a month, the composition of the committee for preparing and holding the celebration, developing and approving a plan of main events, and also recommending that government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation take part in the preparation and holding of the celebration.

Battle of Stalingrad - a major battle between the troops of the USSR on the one hand, and the troops of the Third Reich, Romania, Italy, Hungary, on the other, during the Great Patriotic War from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943.

It took place on the territory of modern Voronezh, Rostov, Volgograd regions and the Republic of Kalmykia of the Russian Federation.

The German offensive lasted from July 17 to November 18, 1942. Its goal was to capture the Great Bend of the Don, the Volgodonsk Isthmus and Stalingrad (modern Volgograd). The implementation of this plan would block transport links between the central regions of the USSR and the Caucasus, creating a springboard for a further offensive to seize the Caucasian oil fields.

During the period November-January, the Soviet army managed to force the Germans to get bogged down in defensive battles, encircle a group of German troops as a result of Operation Uranus, repulse the unblocking German strike "Wintergewitter" and narrow the encirclement to the city limits of Stalingrad.

The battle is one of the most important events of the Second World War and, along with the Battle of Kursk, became a turning point in the course of military operations, after which German troops finally lost the strategic initiative. The battle included the Wehrmacht's attempt to capture the left bank of the Volga in the area of ​​Stalingrad (modern Volgograd) and the city itself, the confrontation in the city, and the Red Army counteroffensive (Operation Uranus), which resulted in the Wehrmacht's 6th Army and other German allied forces in and around the city they were surrounded and partly destroyed, and partly captured.

The Battle of Stalingrad is the bloodiest battle in human history; according to rough estimates, the total losses of both sides in this battle exceed 2 million people. The Axis powers lost large numbers of men and weapons and were subsequently unable to fully recover from the defeat.

Military significance of victory was the removal of the threat of the Wehrmacht seizing the Lower Volga region and the Caucasus, especially oil from the Baku fields.

Political significance was the sobering up of Germany's allies and their understanding of the fact that the war was impossible to win. Turkey abandoned the invasion of the USSR in the spring of 1943, Japan did not begin the planned Siberian Campaign, Romania (Mihai I), Italy (Badoglio), Hungary (Kallai) began to look for opportunities to exit the war and conclude a separate peace with Great Britain and the USA.

For the Soviet Union, which also suffered heavy losses during the battle, the victory at Stalingrad marked the beginning of the liberation of the country, as well as the occupied territories of Europe, leading to the final defeat of the Third Reich in 1945.

The battle begins.

In July, when German intentions became completely clear to the Soviet command, it developed plans for the defense of Stalingrad. On July 12, the Stalingrad Front was created (Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko, from July 23 - General V.N. Gordov). It included the 62nd Army, promoted from the reserve under the command of Vasily Chuikov, the 63rd, 64th Armies, as well as the 21st, 28th, 38th, 57th Combined Arms and 8th Air Armies of the former Southwestern Front, and from July 30 – 51st Army of the North Caucasus Front. The Stalingrad Front received the task of defending in a zone 530 km wide (along the Don River from Babka 250 km northwest of the city of Serafimovich to Kletskaya and further along the line Kletskaya, Surovikino, Suvorovsky, Verkhnekurmoyarskaya), to stop further advance of the enemy and prevent his exit to the Volga. By July 17, the Stalingrad Front had 12 divisions (a total of 160 thousand people), 2,200 guns and mortars, about 400 tanks and over 450 aircraft. In addition, 150-200 long-range bombers and up to 60 fighters of the 102nd Air Defense Aviation Division (Colonel I.I. Krasno-Yurchenko) operated in its zone. Thus, by the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad, the enemy had a superiority over the Soviet troops in men by 1.7 times, in tanks and artillery by 1.3 times, and in aircraft by more than 2 times.

To create a new defense front, Soviet troops, after advancing from the depths, had to immediately take positions on terrain where there were no previously prepared defensive lines. Most of the formations of the Stalingrad Front were new formations that had not yet been properly put together and, as a rule, had no combat experience. There was an acute shortage of fighter aircraft, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery. Many divisions lacked ammunition and vehicles.

On July 17, at the turn of the Chir and Tsimla rivers, the forward detachments of the 62nd and 64th armies of the Stalingrad Front met with the vanguards of the 6th German Army. Interacting with the aviation of the 8th Air Army (General T.T. Khryukin), they put up stubborn resistance to the enemy, who, in order to break their resistance, had to deploy 5 divisions out of 13 and spend 5 days fighting them . In the end, the enemy knocked the forward detachments from their positions and approached the main defense line of the troops of the Stalingrad Front. The resistance of the Soviet troops forced the Nazi command to strengthen the 6th Army. By July 22, it already had 18 divisions, numbering 250 thousand people. combat strength, about 740 tanks, 7.5 thousand guns and mortars. The troops of the 6th Army supported up to 1200 aircraft. As a result, the balance of forces increased even more in favor of the enemy. For example, in tanks he now had a twofold superiority. By July 22, the troops of the Stalingrad Front had 16 divisions (187 thousand people, 360 tanks, 7.9 thousand guns and mortars, about 340 aircraft).

At dawn on July 23, the enemy’s northern and, on July 25, southern strike groups went on the offensive. Using superiority in forces and air supremacy in the air, the enemy broke through the defenses on the right flank of the 62nd Army and by the end of the day on July 24 reached the Don in the Golubinsky area. As a result, up to three Soviet divisions were surrounded. The enemy also managed to push back the troops of the right flank of the 64th Army. A critical situation developed for the troops of the Stalingrad Front. Both flanks of the 62nd Army were deeply engulfed by the enemy, and its exit to the Don created a real threat of a breakthrough of fascist German troops to Stalingrad.

By the end of July, the Germans pushed the Soviet troops behind the Don. The defense line stretched for hundreds of kilometers from north to south along the Don. To break through the defenses along the river, the Germans had to use, in addition to their 2nd Army, the armies of their Italian, Hungarian and Romanian allies. The 6th Army was only a few dozen kilometers from Stalingrad, and the 4th Panzer, located south of it, turned north to help take the city. To the south, Army Group South (A) continued to push further into the Caucasus, but its decline slowed. Army Group South A was too far to the south to provide support to Army Group South B in the north.

No step back!

On July 28, 1942, People's Commissar of Defense I.V. Stalin turned to the Red Army with order No. 227, in which he demanded to strengthen resistance to the enemy and stop his advance at all costs. The strictest measures were envisaged against those who showed cowardice and cowardice in battle. Practical measures were outlined to strengthen morale and discipline among the troops. “It’s time to end the retreat,” the order noted. - No step back!" This slogan embodied the essence of order No. 227. Commanders and political workers were given the task of bringing to the consciousness of every soldier the requirements of this order.

The stubborn resistance of the Soviet troops forced the fascist German command on July 31 to turn the 4th Tank Army (General G. Hoth) from the Caucasus direction to Stalingrad. On August 2, its advanced units approached Kotelnikovsky. In this regard, there was a direct threat of an enemy breakthrough to the city from the southwest. Fighting broke out on the southwestern approaches to it. To strengthen the defense of Stalingrad, by decision of the front commander, the 57th Army was deployed on the southern front of the outer defensive perimeter. The 51st Army was transferred to the Stalingrad Front (General T.K. Kolomiets, from October 7 - General N.I. Trufanov).

The situation in the 62nd Army zone was difficult. On August 7-9, the enemy pushed its troops behind the Don River, and encircled 4 divisions west of Kalach. Soviet soldiers fought in encirclement until August 14, and then in small groups they began to fight their way out of encirclement. Three divisions of the 1st Guards Army (General K.S. Moskalenko, from September 28 - General I.M. Chistyakov) arrived from the Headquarters Reserve and launched a counterattack on the enemy troops and stopped their further advance.

Thus, The enemy's plan - to break through to Stalingrad with a swift blow on the move - was thwarted by the stubborn resistance of Soviet troops in the big bend of the Don and their active defense on the southwestern approaches to the city. During the three weeks of the offensive, the enemy was able to advance only 60-80 km. Based on an assessment of the situation, the fascist German command made significant adjustments to its plan.

On August 19, fascist German troops resumed their offensive, launching attacks in the general direction of Stalingrad. On August 22, the 6th German Army crossed the Don and captured a 45 km wide bridgehead on its eastern bank, in the Peskovatka area, on which six divisions were concentrated. On August 23, the enemy's 14th Tank Corps broke through to the Volga north of Stalingrad, in the area of ​​the village of Rynok, and cut off the 62nd Army from the rest of the forces of the Stalingrad Front. The day before, enemy aircraft launched a massive air strike on Stalingrad, carrying out about 2 thousand sorties. As a result, the city suffered terrible destruction - entire neighborhoods were turned into ruins or simply wiped off the face of the earth.

On September 13, the enemy went on the offensive along the entire front, trying to capture Stalingrad by storm. Soviet troops failed to contain his powerful onslaught. They were forced to retreat to the city, where fierce fighting broke out on the streets.

Battle in the city.

By August 23, 1942, out of 400 thousand residents of Stalingrad, about 100 thousand were evacuated. On August 24, the Stalingrad City Defense Committee adopted a belated resolution on the evacuation of women, children and the wounded to the left bank of the Volga. All citizens, including women and children, worked to build trenches and other fortifications.

On August 23, the 4th Air Fleet carried out its longest and most destructive bombardment of the city. German aircraft destroyed the city, killed more than 90 thousand people, destroyed more than half of the housing stock of pre-war Stalingrad, thereby turning the city into a huge territory covered with burning ruins. The situation was aggravated by the fact that after the high-explosive bombs, German bombers dropped incendiary bombs. A huge fire whirlwind formed, which burned the central part of the city and all its inhabitants to the ground. The fire spread to other areas of Stalingrad, since most of the buildings in the city were built of wood or had wooden elements. Temperatures in many parts of the city, especially in its center, reached 1000 C. This would later be repeated in Hamburg, Dresden and Tokyo.

The burden of the initial fight for Stalingrad fell on the 1077th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, a unit staffed primarily by young female volunteers with no experience in destroying ground targets. Despite this, and without adequate support available from other Soviet units, the anti-aircraft gunners remained in place and fired at the advancing enemy tanks of the 16th Panzer Division until all 37 air defense batteries were destroyed or captured. By the end of August, Army Group South (B) reached the Volga north of the city, and then south of it.

At the initial stage, Soviet defense relied heavily on the “People's Militia of Workers,” recruited from workers not involved in military production. Tanks continued to be built and were staffed by voluntary crews consisting of factory workers, including women. The equipment was immediately sent from factory assembly lines to the front line, often without even painting and without installed sighting equipment.

By September 1, 1942, the Soviet command could only provide its troops in Stalingrad with risky crossings across the Volga. In the midst of the ruins of the already destroyed city, the Soviet 62nd Army built defensive positions with firing points located in buildings and factories. The battle in the city was fierce and desperate.

Snipers and assault groups detained the enemy as best they could. The Germans, moving deeper into Stalingrad, suffered heavy losses. Soviet reinforcements were transported across the Volga from the eastern bank under constant bombardment by German artillery and aircraft.

The average life expectancy of a newly arrived Soviet private in the city sometimes fell below 24 hours.

German military doctrine was based on the interaction of military branches in general and especially close interaction between infantry, sappers, artillery and dive bombers. To counter this, the Soviet command decided to take a simple step - to constantly keep the front lines as close to the enemy as physically possible (usually no more than 30 meters). Thus, the German infantry had to fight on their own, or risk being killed by their own artillery and horizontal bombers, with support only possible from dive bombers. A painful struggle went on for every street, every factory, every house, basement or stairwell. The Germans, calling the new urban war a “rat war,” bitterly joked that the kitchen had already been captured, but they were still fighting for the bedroom.

Battle on Mamayev Kurgan, the blood-soaked heights overlooking the city were unusually merciless. The height changed hands several times. At the grain elevator, a huge grain processing complex, the fighting took place so closely that Soviet and German soldiers could feel each other's breath. The fighting at the grain elevator continued for weeks until the Soviet army gave up ground. In another part of the city, an apartment building, defended by the Soviet platoon in which Yakov Pavlov served, was turned into an impregnable fortress. Despite the fact that this building was subsequently defended by many other officers, its original name was assigned to it. From this house, later called « Pavlov's house», one could see the square in the city center. The soldiers surrounded the building with minefields and set up machine-gun positions. The soldiers joked: “... Our Pavlov has his own house in Stalingrad, but the Germans are not registered in it...”.

Seeing no end to this terrible struggle, the Germans began to bring heavy artillery to the city, including several giant 600-mm mortars. The Germans made no effort to transport troops across the Volga, allowing Soviet troops to erect a huge number of artillery batteries on the opposite bank. Soviet artillery on the eastern bank of the Volga continued to identify German positions and treat them with increased fire. The Soviet defenders used the emerging ruins as defensive positions. German tanks could not move among piles of cobblestones up to 8 meters high. Even if they were able to move forward, they came under heavy fire from Soviet anti-tank units located in the ruins of buildings.

Soviet snipers, using the ruins as cover, also inflicted heavy losses on the Germans. Sniper Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev During the battle he destroyed 225 enemy soldiers and officers (including 11 snipers).

In November, after three months of carnage and a slow, costly advance, the Germans finally reached the banks of the Volga, capturing 99% of the destroyed city and splitting the remaining Soviet troops in two, trapping them in two narrow pockets. In addition to all this, a crust of ice formed on the Volga, preventing the approach of boats and supply loads for the Soviet troops who found themselves in a difficult situation. Despite everything, the struggle, especially on Mamayev Kurgan and in the factories in the northern part of the city, continued as furiously as before. The battles for the Red October plant, the tractor plant and the Barrikady artillery plant became known throughout the world. While Soviet soldiers continued to defend their positions by firing at the Germans, factory workers repaired damaged Soviet tanks and weapons in the immediate vicinity of the battlefield, and sometimes on the battlefield itself. The appearance of assault groups in the city changed the situation - the Germans suffered huge losses, losing an average of 150-200 people per day. It was in Stalingrad that special forces were created - Soviet assault groups.

Offensive phase of the battle(Operation Uranus).

Balance of power.

THE USSR:

– Southwestern Front (General N.F. Vatutin). It included the 21st, 5th Tank, 1st Guards, 17th and 2nd Air Armies;

– Don Front (General K.K. Rokossovsky). It included the 65th, 24th, 66th armies, 16th air army:

– Stalingrad Front (General A.I. Eremenko). It included the 62nd, 64th, 57th, 8th Air Force, and 51st Armies.

Axis Powers:

– Army Group “B” (General M. Weichs). It included the 6th Army (General F. Paulus), the 2nd Army (General G. Salmuth), the 4th Panzer Army (General G. Hoth), the 8th Italian Army (General I. Gariboldi), 2 -1st Hungarian Army (General G. Jani), 3rd Romanian Army (General P. Dumitrescu), 4th Romanian Army (General C. Constantinescu);

– 4th Air Fleet (General V. Richthofen);

– Army Group “Don” (Field Marshal E. Manstein). It included the 6th Army, the 3rd Romanian Army, the Hoth Army Group, the Hollidt Task Force;

– two Finnish voluntary units.

The beginning of the Wehrmacht offensive and counter-operation.

On November 9, 1942, the Red Army began its offensive withinOperation Uranus. On November 23, in the Kalach area, an encirclement ring was closed around the 6th Army of the Wehrmacht. It was not possible to completely implement the Uranus plan, since it was not possible to split the 6th Army into two parts from the very beginning (with the attack of the 24th Army between the Volga and Don rivers). Attempts to liquidate those surrounded on the move under these conditions also failed, despite a significant superiority in forces - the superior tactical training of the Germans was telling. However

The 6th Army was isolated and its fuel, ammunition and food supplies were progressively dwindling, despite attempts to supply it by air by the 4th Air Fleet under the command of Wolfram von Richthofen.

Operation Winter Storm.

The newly formed Wehrmacht Army Group Don, under the command of Field Marshal Manstein, attempted to break the blockade of the encircled troops (Operation Winter Storm). It was originally planned to begin on December 10, but the offensive actions of the Red Army on the outer front of the encirclement forced the start of the operation to be postponed to December 12. By this date, the Germans managed to present only one full-fledged tank formation - the 6th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht and (from infantry formations) the remnants of the defeated 4th Romanian Army. These units were subordinate to the control of the 4th Panzer Army under the command of G. Hoth. During the offensive, the group was reinforced by the very battered 11th and 17th tank divisions and three air field divisions.

By December 19, units of the 4th Tank Army, which had actually broken through the defensive formations of the Soviet troops, encountered the 2nd Guards Army, which had just been transferred from the Headquarters reserve, under the command of R. Ya. Malinovsky. The army consisted of two rifle and one mechanized corps. During the oncoming battles, by December 25, the Germans retreated to the positions they were in before the start of Operation Winter Storm, having lost almost all their equipment and more than 40 thousand people. It is this episode of the war that is described in Yuri Bondarev’s novel “Hot Snow.”

Operation "Little Saturn".

According to the plan of the Soviet command, after the defeat of the 6th Army, the forces involved in Operation Uranus turned west and advanced towards Rostov-on-Don as part of Operation Saturn. At the same time, the southern wing of the Voronezh Front attacked the 8th Italian Army north of Stalingrad and advanced directly west (towards the Donets) with an auxiliary attack to the southwest (towards Rostov-on-Don), covering the northern flank of the South-Western front during a hypothetical offensive.

However, due to the incomplete implementation of “Uranus”, “Saturn” was replaced by “Little Saturn”. A breakthrough to Rostov (due to the lack of seven armies pinned down by the 6th Army at Stalingrad) was no longer planned; the Voronezh Front, together with the Southwestern Front and part of the forces of the Stalingrad Front, had the goal of pushing the enemy 100-150 km to the west from the encircled 6th Army. 1st Army and defeat the 8th Italian Army (Voronezh Front).

The offensive was planned to begin on December 10, however, problems associated with the delivery of new units necessary for the operation (those available on site were tied up at Stalingrad) led to the fact that A. M. Vasilevsky authorized (with the knowledge of I. V. Stalin) a postponement of the start of the operation on December 16th.

On December 16-17, the German front on Chira and on the positions of the 8th Italian Army was broken through, and Soviet tank corps rushed into the operational depths. However, in the mid-20s of December, operational reserves (four well-equipped German tank divisions), initially intended to strike during Operation Wintergewitter, began to approach Army Group Don.

By December 25, these reserves launched counterattacks, during which they cut off the tank corps of V.M. Badanov, which had just burst into the airfield in Tatsinskaya (86 German aircraft were destroyed at the airfields). The corps escaped from the encirclement, refueling the tanks with a mixture of aviation gasoline captured at the airfield and motor oil.

After this, the front line temporarily stabilized, since neither the Soviet nor the German troops had enough strength to break through the enemy’s tactical defense zone.

Combat operations during Operation Ring.

On December 27, N.N. Voronov sent the first version of the “Ring” plan to the Supreme Command Headquarters. Headquarters, in Directive No. 170718 of December 28, 1942 (signed by Stalin and Zhukov), demanded changes to the plan so that it would provide for the dismemberment of the 6th Army into two parts before its destruction. Corresponding changes have been made to the plan. On January 10, the offensive of the Soviet troops began, the main blow was delivered in the zone of the 65th Army of General Batov. However, German resistance turned out to be so serious that the offensive had to be temporarily stopped.

From January 17 to 22, the offensive was suspended for regrouping, new attacks on January 22-26 led to the dismemberment of the 6th Army into two groups (Soviet troops united in the Mamayev Kurgan area), by January 31 the southern group was eliminated (the command and headquarters of the 6th Army led by Paulus), by February 2 the northern group of those surrounded under the command of the commander of the 11th Army Corps, General-Regiment Karl Strecker, capitulated. Shooting in the city continued until February 3 - the Hiwis resisted even after the German surrender on February 2, 1943, since they were not in danger of being captured. The liquidation of the 6th Army, according to the “Ring” plan, was supposed to be completed in a week, but in reality it lasted 23 days. (The 24th Army withdrew from the front on January 26 and was sent to the General Headquarters reserve).

Total during Operation Ring were taken prisoner more than 2,500 officers and 24 generals of the 6th Army. In total, over 91 thousand Wehrmacht soldiers and officers were captured. According to the Don Front headquarters, the trophies of the Soviet troops from January 10 to February 2, 1943 were 5,762 guns, 1,312 mortars, 12,701 machine guns, 156,987 rifles, 10,722 machine guns, 744 aircraft, 1,666 tanks, 261 armored vehicles, 80,438 vehicles, 10 6 79 motorcycles , 240 tractors, 571 tractors, 3 armored trains and other military equipment.

Capitulated a total of 20 German divisions: 14th, 16th and 24th Panzer, 3rd, 29th and 60th Motorized Infantry, 100th Jäger, 44th, 71st, 76th , 79th, 94th, 113th, 295th, 297th, 305th, 371st, 376th, 384th, 389th infantry divisions. In addition, the Romanian 1st Cavalry and 20th Infantry Divisions and the Croatian regiment from the 100th Jaeger Division surrendered. The 91st air defense regiment, the 243rd and 245th separate assault gun battalions, and the 2nd and 51st rocket mortar regiments also capitulated.

The victory of Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad is the largest military-political event during the 2nd World War. The Great Battle, which ended with the encirclement, defeat and capture of a selected enemy group, made a huge contribution to achieving a radical turning point during the Great Patriotic War and had a decisive influence on the further course of the entire 2nd World War.

In the Battle of Stalingrad, new features of the military art of the USSR Armed Forces manifested themselves with all their might. Soviet operational art was enriched by the experience of encircling and destroying the enemy.

The victory at Stalingrad had a decisive influence on the further course of the 2nd World War. As a result of the battle, the Red Army firmly seized the strategic initiative and now dictated its will to the enemy. This changed the nature of the actions of German troops in the Caucasus, in the areas of Rzhev and Demyansk. The attacks of the Soviet troops forced the Wehrmacht to give the order to prepare the Eastern Wall, which was supposed to stop the advance of the Soviet Army.

The outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad caused confusion and confusion in the Axis countries. A crisis began in the pro-fascist regimes in Italy, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia. Germany's influence on its allies sharply weakened, and disagreements between them noticeably worsened. The desire to maintain neutrality has intensified in Turkish political circles. Elements of restraint and alienation began to prevail in the relations of neutral countries towards Germany.

Total losses Red Army in the Stalingrad defensive operation amounted to 643,842 people, 1,426 tanks, 12,137 guns and mortars, 2,063 aircraft.

Total lossesWehrmacht– over 800,000 people. killed. The reference book “World War II,” published in Germany in 1995, indicates that 201 thousand soldiers and officers were captured at Stalingrad, of whom only 6 thousand returned to their homeland after the war.

According to Soviet sources, Soviet troops buried 140 thousand enemy soldiers and officers on the battlefield (not counting the tens of thousands of German troops who died in the “cauldron” within 73 days).

Historical significance of the Battle of Stalingrad.

The historical significance of the Battle of Stalingrad is extremely great. The victory won by the Red Army changed the course of events not only on the Soviet-German front, but also in other theaters of the Second World War. This happened as a result of a brutal and persistent struggle, which required enormous efforts and sacrifices from the Soviet people. The Great Battle of Stalingrad ended in a brilliant victory for the Soviet Union and its Armed Forces. The Red Army defeated five armies of Nazi Germany and its allies: two German (6th and 4th Panzer), two Romanian (3rd and 4th) and one Italian (8th). During the counteroffensive, 32 divisions and 3 brigades were completely destroyed, and 16 enemy divisions suffered a serious defeat, losing more than half of their strength. Its losses amounted to over 800 thousand people. In just 200 days and nights of the battle on the Volga, throwing more and more divisions into battle, the enemy lost up to 1.5 million people killed, wounded and captured. He also lost about 3.5 thousand tanks and assault guns, over 3 thousand combat and transport aircraft, more than 12 thousand guns and mortars, 75 thousand vehicles (10), etc. This number of people and military equipment was enough for staffing 75-80 divisions.