The main battles of WWII presentation. Presentation - battles of the Great Patriotic War. Main periods of the Great Patriotic War

The main battles of the Great Patriotic War.

Completed by: Levushkina Olesya

The Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) -liberation war of the Soviet people against Nazi Germany and its allies (Hungary, Italy, Romania, Finland).

Among the main causes of the war are the following:

Economic - the Nazis sought to turn Germany into a full-fledged colonial empire through the conquest and subjugation of the territory of the USSR;

Ideological - the war against the USSR was considered by the Nazis as part of the fight against international Bolshevism and the communist movement, which were their main opponents;

Geopolitical - the conquest of the territory of the Soviet Union was supposed to provide Germany with unconditional superiority in the confrontation with England and the United States and open the way to world domination.

• First period (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942)

Within a year of Germany's attack on the USSR, the German army was able to conquer significant territories, which included Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine. After this, the troops moved inland with the goal of capturing Moscow and Leningrad, however, despite the failures of Russian soldiers at the beginning of the war, the Germans failed to take the capital.

Leningrad was besieged, but the Germans were not allowed into the city. The battles for Moscow, Leningrad and Novgorod continued until 1942.

Combat actions of the initial period of the Great Patriotic War

(tank battles)

Main periods of the Great Patriotic War:

• Period of radical change (1942 – 1943) The middle period of the war bears this name because it was at this time that Soviet troops were able to take the advantage in the war into their own hands and launch a counteroffensive. The German and Allied armies gradually began to retreat back to the western border, and many foreign legions were defeated and destroyed.

Thanks to the fact that the entire industry of the USSR at that time worked for military needs, the Soviet army managed to significantly increase its weapons and provide worthy resistance. The USSR army turned from a defender into an attacker.

Main periods of the Great Patriotic War:

• The final period of the war (1943 - 1945). During this period, the USSR began to recapture the lands occupied by the Germans and move towards Germany. Leningrad was liberated, Soviet troops entered Czechoslovakia, Poland, and then into German territory.

On May 8, Berlin was captured and German troops announced unconditional surrender. Hitler, upon learning that the war was lost, committed suicide. War is over.

The main battles of the Great Patriotic War :

• 2.
• 3. Battle of Kursk 1943
• 4. Belarusian operation (June 23 - August 29, 1944).
• 5. Berlin operation 1945

Moscow Battle 1941 - 1942

Moscow Battle 1941 - 1942

• By the beginning of the German offensive on Moscow, Army Group Center (Field Marshal F. Bock) had 74.5 divisions (approximately 38% infantry and 64% tank and mechanized divisions operating on the Soviet-German front), 1,800,000 people, 1,700 tanks, over 14,000 guns and mortars, 1,390 aircraft. Soviet troops in the Western direction, consisting of three fronts, had 1,250 thousand people, 990 tanks, 7,600 guns and mortars and 677 aircraft.

Moscow Battle 1941 - 1942

• During the defensive battles, the enemy was significantly bled dry. On December 5-6, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive, and on January 7-10, 1942, they launched a general offensive along the entire front. The Battle of Moscow was of great importance: the myth of the invincibility of the German army was dispelled, the plan for a lightning war was thwarted, the international position of the USSR was strengthened.

G.K. Zhukov (General of the Army of the Western Front)

I.S. Konev (Colonel General of the Western Front, and later of the Kalinin Front)

Battle of Stalingrad 1942 - 1943

• Defensive (July 17 - November 18, 1942) and offensive (November 19, 1942 - February 2, 1943) operations carried out by Soviet troops in order to defend Stalingrad and defeat a large enemy strategic group operating in the Stalingrad direction.

Battle of Stalingrad 1942 - 1943

• Victory in Battle of Stalingrad had enormous international and military-political significance for the USSR. It marked a radical turning point during the Second World War. After Stalingrad, the period of expulsion of German occupiers from the territory of the USSR began. Having become a triumph of Soviet military art, the Battle of Stalingrad strengthened the camp of the anti-Hitler coalition and caused discord in the countries of the fascist bloc.

S.K. Timoshenko - Marshal of the Stalingrad Front

K.K. Rokossovsky - Lieutenant General of the Don Front

Battle of Kursk 1943

• Defensive (July 5 - 23) and offensive (July 12 - August 23) operations carried out by Soviet troops in the Kursk region to disrupt a major offensive by German troops and defeat the enemy’s strategic grouping. As a result of the Battle of Kursk, 30 enemy divisions (including 7 tank divisions) were completely defeated. The enemy lost over 500 thousand people, 1.5 thousand tanks, over 3.7 thousand aircraft, 3 thousand guns. The main result of the battle was the transition of German troops in all theaters of military operations to strategic defense. The strategic initiative finally passed into the hands of the Soviet command. In the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War, the radical change begun by the Battle of Stalingrad was completed.

Army General of the Voronezh Front N. F. Vatutin

General of the Army of the Southwestern Front R. Ya. Malinovsky

• Code name: Operation Bagration. One of the largest strategic offensive operations undertaken by the Soviet high command with the aim of defeating the Nazi Army Group Center and liberating Belarus. During the Belarusian operation, the Red Army made a powerful push from the Dnieper to the Vistula and advanced 500-600 km. Soviet troops liberated all of Belarus, most of Lithuania and entered Polish soil. For carrying out this operation, General Rokossovsky received the rank of marshal.

The Belarusian operation led to the defeat of Army Group Center, whose irretrievable losses amounted to 539 thousand people. (381 thousand people killed and 158 thousand captured). This success of the Red Army was paid at a high price. Its total losses amounted to over 765 thousand people. (including irrevocable - 233 thousand people), 2957 tanks and self-propelled guns, 2447 guns and mortars, 822 aircraft.

army general

Baltic Front

I. Kh. Bagramyan

army general

Belorussian Front

I. D. Chernyakhovsky

Berlin operation 1945

• The final strategic offensive operation carried out by Soviet troops on April 16 - May 8, 1945. Troops from three fronts were involved in the operation: 2nd Belorussian (Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky), 1st Belorussian (Marshal G.K. Zhukov), 1st Ukrainian (Marshal I.S. Konev).

Based on the nature of the tasks performed and the results, the Berlin operation is divided into 3 stages. 1st stage- breakthrough of the Oder-Neissen line of enemy defense (April 16 - 19); 2nd stage- encirclement and dismemberment of enemy troops (April 19 - 25); 3rd stage- destruction of the surrounded groups and capture of Berlin (April 26 - May 8). The main goals of the operation were achieved in 16 - 17 days.

• For the success of the operation, 1,082 thousand soldiers were awarded the medal “For the Capture of Berlin.” More than 600 participants in the operation became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and 13 people were awarded the second Gold Star medal.

Results of the Great Patriotic War:

● victory of the anti-Hitler coalition;

● The USSR defended its state independence;

● Nazi Germany and Japan suffered military and political defeat;

● fascism and Nazism were condemned as an ideology of aggression, violence, and racial superiority;

● the prestige of the USSR grew, its international influence increased, and a system of socialist states under its direct control began to form in Central and South-Eastern Europe.

Nothing is forgotten, no one is forgotten. The main battles of the Great Patriotic War. Battle of Minsk. The Battle of Minsk lasted from June 22 to July 8, 1941. During the offensive, the enemy achieved serious operational successes: inflicted a heavy defeat on the Soviet Western Front, captured a significant part of Belarus and advanced to a depth of over 300 km. Moscow battle. The Battle of Moscow lasted more than six months: from September 30, 1941. to April 20, 1942. The victory of the Red Army near Moscow raised the authority of the Soviet Union even higher and was an inspiring incentive for the entire Soviet people in the further struggle against the aggressor. She intensified the liberation movement of the peoples of Europe against Hitler's tyranny. Leningrad blockade. The siege of Leningrad lasted from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944. The memorial ensembles of the Piskarevsky Cemetery and the Seraphim Cemetery are dedicated to the memory of the victims of the siege and the fallen participants in the defense of Leningrad; the Green Belt of Glory was created around the city along the former siege ring of the front. Battle of Rzhev. January 1941 - March 1943. The significance of the Battle of Rzhev in our days in the mass consciousness is defined very clearly: “Rzhev saved Moscow,” although all the talk about a new attack on Moscow has always been as a possible, expected offensive... Battle of Stalingrad. It began on July 17, 1942, and ended on February 3, 1943. The battle included an attempt by the Wehrmacht to capture the left bank of the Volga in the area of ​​Stalingrad (modern Volgograd) and the city itself, a confrontation in the city, and a counteroffensive by the Red Army, as a result of which the 6th Wehrmacht Army and other German allied forces in and around the city were surrounded and partly destroyed , and some were captured. Battles in the Caucasus. July 1942 – October 1943. The civilian population of Abkhazia played an invaluable role in the battle for the Caucasus. These people collected money, food and warm clothes for the Red Army, worked for the benefit of the front, and made every possible effort for victory. This feat of the Abkhaz people was highly appreciated by the country's leadership. Battle of Kursk. The Battle of Kursk lasted from July 5 to August 1943. This victory raised the authority of the Soviet Union even higher. The whole world looked at him as a force capable of crushing fascism. US President Roosevelt wrote then: “The Soviet Union can justly be proud of its heroic victories.” The same reviews came from the leaders of many other states that were part of the anti-Hitler coalition. Battle of the Dnieper. The Battle of the Dnieper by Soviet troops in Ukraine in August - December 1943 was carried out with the goal of liberating Left Bank Ukraine, Northern Tavria, Donbass and Kyiv, as well as creating strong bridgeheads on the right bank of the Dnieper. Battle for Berlin. From April 16 to May 8, 1945, this battle lasted, which gave the following results: the destruction of the largest group of German troops, the capture of the German capital, the capture of the highest military and political leadership of Germany; The fall of Berlin and the loss of the German leadership's ability to govern led to the complete cessation of organized resistance on the part of the German armed forces. Presentation of the nomination “The largest battles of the Second World War.” Worked on the presentation: teacher of GS(K)OAU boarding school No. 10 Klimentyeva Yu.N.

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Presentation competition “Not to remember, but to remember!”
Category: Great Battles of the Great War
Yanduvanov Vladimir Valerievich 6th grade MKOU "Zavyazenskaya Secondary School" p. The beginning
Head: teacher of Russian language and literature MKOU "Zavyazenskaya Secondary School" Putilina Lyudmila Pavlovna

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Battles of the Great Patriotic War
On June 22, 1941 at 4 o'clock in the morning the Great Patriotic War began. The Germans violated the non-aggression pact. ---The main battles of the Great Patriotic War - the Battle of Smolensk, the battle of Moscow, battles in the North Caucasus, the Battle of Stalingrad, the battle of Kursk, the battles of Leningrad and Novgorod, military operations in Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states, France, Belgium, Poland, the battle for the capture of Berlin.

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At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, resistance to the enemy was provided by the Red Army in border battles, in the battle of Smolensk, during the defense of Kiev (in July-August 1941), Odessa (in August-October 1941) and Sevastopol (began in November 1941) . Our troops, who were taken by surprise, failed to stop the enemy’s advance. Before the Battle of Smolensk, the Nazis had an advantage in ammunition and the number of fighters, so the battle became intense.

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German troops organized a breakthrough in the area of ​​Mogilev, Polotsk and Vitebsk. The 20th Army of General Pavel Alekseevich Kurochkin continuously counterattacked the 9th German Army, but was unable to stop it. The enemy's tank divisions bypassed the 20th Army and approached Smolensk. On July 16, the Germans broke into the city, and after fighting that lasted for two weeks, they completely occupied it. Then the Germans could break through to Moscow.

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At the beginning of the winter of 1941, the Soviet Army stopped the Germans, and they failed to carry out the “blitzkrieg” plan. The first major defeat of the Germans in the Great Patriotic War was in the Battle of Moscow, which can be divided into two periods: the period of defense (from September 30 to December 5, 1941) and the period of counteroffensive (from December 5-6, 1941 to January 7-8, 1942 of the year). The counteroffensive ended with a general offensive of Soviet troops towards the western direction of the front (from January 7-10, 1942 to April 20, 1942). The Germans were thrown back 250 km from the capital, most of them were defeated or captured. This victory raised the spirit of the Soviet people. Türkiye and Japan, Germany's allies, did not enter the war.

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The Battle of Stalingrad after Moscow Stalin makes new mistakes, first demanding the deployment of a series of offensive operations. During the offensive that began near Kharkov (May 12-29, 1942), the Germans allowed our troops to go deep into the country (territory), then surrounded them and destroyed them. The second mistake is the plan of operations for 1942. Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov assumed that the Germans would conduct military operations in the south, but Stalin thwarted Zhukov's plan.

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In the summer of 1942, the Germans began an offensive in the south. They wanted to first occupy the Kerch Peninsula and then capture Sevastopol. On May 16, Soviet troops abandoned Kerch. The defenders of Sevastopol defended for 250 days and nights until they ran out of ammunition and drinking water. Then they left the destroyed city and retreated to Cape Chersonesus, from where some of the defenders were evacuated on July 4, and the rest continued to fight until July 9. Some units managed to break through to the mountains and become part of the partisan detachments. Some of the defenders were captured. ----In a few weeks, the Germans reached Stalingrad and in the North Caucasus - to Ordzhonikidze.

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The Battle of Stalingrad lasted more than six months (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943), but Stalingrad did not surrender. Based on the nature of the fighting, the battle can be divided into two stages: defensive (from July 17 to November 19, 1942) and offensive. The winter offensive of the Soviet Army could not but be successful. It surrounded the Germans at Stalingrad, and the German army suffered its most important defeat, losing 1.5 million people. For this reason, the Nazi government of Germany declared three days of mourning.

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Battle of Kursk After the Battle of Stalingrad, a number of German supporters - Romania, Italy and Finland - declared their desire to leave the war. After the Battle of Stalingrad, the Soviet Army did not lose a single battle, going on the offensive along the entire front. The last attempt of the Germans to win was the battle on the Kursk Bulge (July 5-August 23, 1943), a front ledge in the Kursk region formed as a result of the offensive of Soviet troops. The battle ended, by and large, in a draw. But Soviet industry instantly made up for the losses. After this, a continuous offensive of the Soviet army began.

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The Battle of Moscow, the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk are the great battles of the Great Patriotic War, as they were able to turn the tide of the war in favor of the USSR. These victories raised the spirit of Soviet soldiers and proved to everyone that not all was lost in this terrible war. On August 5, 1943, Oryol and Belgorod were liberated, on August 23, Kharkov, and on November 6, Kyiv. On January 27, 1944, the blockade of Leningrad was lifted, Odessa was liberated on April 10, and Sevastopol on May 9.

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Capture of Berlin In the summer of 1944, Belarus, Moldova, Karelia were liberated, and in October the Baltic states, the Arctic, and Transcarpathian Ukraine were liberated. After this, Soviet troops, pursuing the Germans, crossed the borders of the USSR and entered the territories of neighboring states: Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia. On May 2, 1945, Soviet troops under the command of Zhukov, Konev and Rokossovsky stormed Berlin, and on May 8 the German command signed an act of unconditional surrender. Thus ended the battles of the Great Patriotic War. However, the last shots were fired in August 1945, when the USSR entered the war against Japan. On September 2, 1945, World War II ended.

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The years of the Patriotic War of 1941-1945 will never be forgotten. The farther they are from us in time, the more vividly and majesticly they will unfold in our memory, and again the heart in the chest will beat very, very strongly, and again tears will appear in our eyes. Tears of pity and pride. If only there would be no war again!

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Slide captions:

The main battles during the Great Patriotic War.

On September 30, with the transition to the offensive of the 2nd Tank Group, the German command began to implement Operation Typhoon.

September 30, 1941 - April 20, 1942 - military operations of Soviet and German troops in the Moscow direction.

Forces of the Western, Reserve, Bryansk, Kalinin, Northwestern Fronts By September 30, 1941, the troops of the first three fronts numbered 1,250,000 people. Army Group Center - 1,929,406 people.

Trofimov Nikolai Ignatievich Hero of the Soviet Union. Already in the morning of November 16, bombs rained down on the company’s position from the air. Explosions roared one after another. Before the chilling wind had time to dispel the smoke, chains of enemy machine gunners rose up. The Nazis walked at full height in closed ranks. They had only approached about a hundred meters when a whistle was heard. At this signal, the Red Army soldiers opened fire. The attack was repulsed. Then the enemy threw 20 tanks at them and, under their cover, an even larger group of machine gunners. They countered their powerful armor and fast-firing guns with grenades, petrol bombs, anti-tank rifles and their unbending courage, born of ardent love for the Motherland. In this legendary battle, almost all of them died, but they delayed the Germans’ advance towards Moscow, destroying 32 tanks. Among the Panfilov heroes was our fellow countryman N.I. Trofimov. N.I. Trofimov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union

Losses 1,806,123 people.

Siege of Leningrad from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944 (the blockade ring was broken on January 18, 1943) - 872 days.

Diary of Tanya Savicheva

Famine in Leningrad Workers - 250 grams of bread per day Employees, dependents and children under 12 years old - 125 grams Personnel of the paramilitary guards, fire brigades, extermination squads, vocational schools and FZO schools, who were on boiler allowance - 300 grams First-line troops - 500 grams [source not specified 316 days]

The number of victims of the siege of Leningrad Most of the residents of Leningrad who died during the siege are buried at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery. In a long row of graves lie the victims of the siege, who number in this cemetery alone 640,000 people who died of starvation and more than 17,000 people who became victims of air raids and artillery shelling. The total number of civilian casualties in the city during the entire war exceeds 1.2 million.

The Battle of Stalingrad is the beginning of a radical turning point in the war of the USSR Germany Stalingrad Front (commander - S.K. T imoshenko, from July 23 - V.N. Gordov). It included the 62nd, 63rd, 64th, 21st, 28th, 38th and 57th combined arms armies, the 8th Air Army and the Volga Military Flotilla - 37 divisions, 3 tank corps, 22 brigades, which numbered 547 thousand people, 2,200 guns and mortars, about 400 tanks, 454 aircraft, 150-200 long-range bombers and 60 air defense fighters Army Group B. The 6th Army (commander - F. Paulus) was allocated for the attack on Stalingrad. It included 13 divisions, which numbered about 270 thousand people, 3 thousand guns and mortars, and about 500 tanks. The army was supported by the 4th Air Fleet, which had up to 1,200 Axis aircraft of Army Group B (commander - M. Weichs). It included the 6th Army - commander General of Tank Forces Friedrich Paulus Army Group "Don" (commander - E. Manstein). It included the 6th Army, the 3rd Romanian Army, the Hoth Army Group, and the Hollidt Task Force. Two Finnish volunteer units 17 July 1942 - 2 February 1943

Commanders of the USSR Germany A. M. Vasilevsky K. K. Rokossovsky A. I. Eremenko V. I. Chuikov Zhukov G. K. Erich von Manstein Friedrich Paulus

Motherland

Square “Standing to the Death!” The face of General Chuikov V.I.

Pavlov's House Panorama

Composition of a grieving mother with a deceased warrior in her arms

Bakanov Sergei Semenovich Hero of the Soviet Union. On June 22, 1941, he was called up to the front by the Biysk district military registration and enlistment office. During the war he was wounded 5 times. Participated in the capture of Stalingrad, Belgorod, Kerch, Sevastopol, Warsaw.

Hero of the Soviet Union Kaulko Ivan Demidovich. In the Battle of Stalingrad, he led artillerymen into battle by personal example and ensured the fulfillment of his regiment’s mission. For this battle, Kaulko was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

Battle of Kursk (July 5, 1943 - August 23, 1943, also known as the Battle of Kursk, German offensive Operation Citadel. A turning point in the war.

Commanders Konstantin Rokossovsky Georgy Zhukov Erich von Manstein Gunther Hans von Kluge Walter Model

Losses to Soviet sources Belfry in memory of those killed on the Prokhorovsky field 500 thousand total losses on the Kursk salient. 1000 tanks according to German data, 1500 - according to Soviet data, less than 1696 aircraft

Nekrasov I.M. On October 26, 1943, he was awarded the title: Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1943, after the battles on the Kursk Bulge, I.M. Nekrasov was awarded the rank of major general.

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"Decisive battles of the Great Patriotic War"

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"Battle of Stalingrad" The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most important events of the Second World War. 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 standoff in the city, and the Red Army counteroffensive (Operation Uranus), which brought the Wehrmacht VI Army and other German allied forces into and around the city were surrounded and partly destroyed, partly captured. According to rough estimates, the total losses of both sides in this battle exceed two million people. The Axis powers lost large numbers of men and weapons and were subsequently unable to fully recover from the defeat. J.V. Stalin wrote: “Stalingrad was the decline of the Nazi army. After the Stalingrad massacre, as we know, the Germans could no longer recover.” For the Soviet Union, which also suffered heavy losses during the battle, the victory at Stalingrad marked the beginning of the country's liberation and march of victory across Europe, leading to the final defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.

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"Battle of Kursk" The Battle of Kursk (July 5, 1943 - August 23, 1943, also known as the Battle of Kursk, Operation Citadel in German: Unternehmen Zitadelle) in its scope, the forces and means involved, tension, results and military-political consequences, is one of the key battles of the Great Patriotic War. The Battle of Kursk lasted forty-nine days - from July 5 to August 23, 1943. In Soviet and Russian historiography, it is customary to divide the battle into three parts: Kursk defensive operation (July 5-23); Oryol (July 12 - August 18) and Belgorod-Kharkov (August 3-23) offensive. 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.

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"Liberation of Kharkov" Units of the 53rd, 69th and 7th Guards armies took part in the battles on the streets of Kharkov. From the west, the 89th Guards Belgorod (commander Major General M.P. Seryugin) and 107th Rifle (commander Colonel P.M. Bezhko) divisions of the 53rd Army burst into the city. From the north and northeast, the enemy was pressed back by troops of the 69th and 7th Guards Armies. Formations of the 7th Guards Army began the offensive with the actions of forward detachments, and at 2 a.m. on August 23, the army launched a general offensive. Units of the 1243rd Infantry Regiment of the 375th Infantry Division (commanded by Colonel P.D. Govorunenko) of the 69th Army were among the first to break into the city. Soon after them other units of this division entered the city. The enemy, withdrawing his main forces to a previously prepared line, covered the retreat with strong rearguards, supporting them with artillery and mortar fire. In these last hours of their stay in Kharkov, the fascist thugs set numerous fires in the city, and it simultaneously burned in many places. Hundreds of industrial and civil structures were blown up by the Nazis. In the darkness of the night, illuminated by the glow of numerous fires and flashes of explosions, Soviet soldiers fought their last battle for Kharkov. Showing courage and bravery, they bypassed the enemy’s fortified positions, infiltrated his defenses and boldly attacked enemy garrisons from the rear. Neither mines, nor barbed wire, nor numerous fires and rubble in the streets, nor other obstacles could stop the Soviet soldiers. Already during the fighting, the engineering troops began clearing mines from the city. More than 61 thousand mines and 320 landmines and surprises were removed in the Kharkov area.

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“Crossing the Dnieper” On September 9, 1943, the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief issued a directive “On the rapid and decisive crossing of rivers and rewarding troops for successfully crossing water barriers.” The first bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper was conquered on September 22, 1943 at the confluence of the Dnieper and the Pripyat River, in the northern part of the front. On September 24, another position was recaptured near Dneprodzerzhinsk, the next day in the same area - the third, and the fourth on September 28 near Kremenchug. By the end of the month, 23 bridgeheads had been created on the opposite bank of the Dnieper, some of them 10 kilometers wide and 1-2 kilometers deep. The crossing of the Dnieper is the clearest example of the heroism of Soviet troops. The soldiers, using the slightest opportunity to cross, crossed the river on any floating craft, suffering heavy losses under the fierce fire of the fascist troops. After this, the Soviet troops practically created a new fortified area on the conquered bridgeheads, actually digging themselves into the ground from enemy fire, and covering the approach of new forces with their fire. Soon, German troops launched powerful counterattacks at almost every crossing, hoping to destroy the Soviet troops before the heavy equipment touched the other side of the river and entered the battle. Thus, the crossing at Borodaevsk, mentioned by Marshal Konev in his memoirs, was subjected to powerful enemy artillery fire. Bombers were almost everywhere, bombing the crossing and military units located near the river. Konev mentioned, in this regard, shortcomings in the organization of air support on the Soviet side, about the establishment of air patrols of the troop crossing area, in order to prevent bombing of approaches to crossings, and about his order to send reinforcement of artillery to the front line so that it would repel enemy tank attacks . When Soviet aviation became more organized and improved the synchronization of its actions with the ground forces of the front, supported by the fire of hundreds of guns and artillery formations of the Katyusha guards mortar, the situation with the defense of the crossings began to improve. Crossing the Dnieper became relatively safer for Soviet soldiers.

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“Liberation of Kyiv” After crossing the Dnieper, Soviet troops had to liberate the capital of Ukraine - Kyiv, expand the captured bridgeheads and create conditions for clearing the entire right-bank Ukraine of the enemy. At the same time, it was necessary to eliminate the enemy bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper in the Zaporozhye region, defeat the enemy group on the Molochnaya River and reach the lower reaches of the Dnieper. During the Lower Dnieper strategic offensive operation, Soviet troops broke through the enemy’s defenses at the turn of the Molochnaya River and completed the liberation of Left Bank Ukraine in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, blocking the Crimean group of Nazi troops from land. Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye were liberated. According to the plan of the command of the 1st Ukrainian Front, it was planned to deliver two strikes to liberate Kyiv. The main attack was planned from the Bukrinsky bridgehead, 80 km south of Kyiv, and the auxiliary attack - from the bridgeheads north of Kyiv. In October, the strike force, concentrated on the Bukrin bridgehead, launched an offensive twice. However, the enemy defenses turned out to be too strong. It became clear that it was difficult to count on success here. Therefore, it was decided to transfer the main efforts from the Bukrinsky to the Lyutezhsky bridgehead and from here direct the main blow to the South. On dark nights and evenings, when the Dnieper valley was covered in impenetrable fog, our tanks and artillery began to cross from the Bukrinsky bridgehead to the left bank of the Dnieper. They walked along the left bank about two hundred kilometers to the north and crossed the river again - to the Lyutezhsky bridgehead. This was done so skillfully, so carefully, that the enemy did not notice the changes. Fascist reconnaissance planes noted Soviet tanks and large guns in their original places. The enemy had no idea that he was seeing plywood tanks and guns made of logs. In addition, our formations remaining at Velikiy Bukrin demonstrated previous attempts to break through the defenses there.

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"Capture of Berlin" The assault on the city began on April 16 at 3 am. Under the light of searchlights, one and a half hundred tanks and infantry attacked the German defensive positions. A fierce battle lasted for four days, after which the forces of three Soviet fronts and troops of the Polish army managed to encircle the city. On the same day, Soviet troops met with the Allies on the Elbe. As a result of four days of fighting, several hundred thousand people were captured and dozens of armored vehicles were destroyed. However, despite the offensive, Hitler had no intention of surrendering Berlin; he insisted that the city must be held at all costs. Hitler refused to surrender even after Soviet troops approached the city; he threw all available human resources, including children and the elderly, onto the battlefield. On April 21, the Soviet army was able to reach the outskirts of Berlin and start street battles there - German soldiers fought to the last, following Hitler's order not to surrender. On April 29, Soviet soldiers began storming the Reichstag building. On April 30, the Soviet flag was hoisted on the building - the war ended, Germany was defeated. On the night of May 9, the act of unconditional surrender of Germany was signed.