22 JUNE 1941 YEAR - THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR
On June 22, 1941, at 4 a.m., without declaring war, Nazi Germany and its allies attacked the Soviet Union. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War did not just happen on a Sunday. It was religious holiday All the saints who have shone in the Russian land.
Units of the Red Army were attacked by German troops along the entire border. Riga, Vindava, Libau, Siauliai, Kaunas, Vilnius, Grodno, Lida, Volkovysk, Brest, Kobrin, Slonim, Baranovichi, Bobruisk, Zhitomir, Kiev, Sevastopol and many other cities, railway junctions, airfields, naval bases of the USSR were bombed , artillery shelling was carried out on border fortifications and areas of deployment of Soviet troops near the border from the Baltic Sea to the Carpathians. The Great Patriotic War began.
At that time, no one knew that it would go down in human history as the bloodiest. Nobody guessed that to the Soviet people you have to go through inhuman tests, pass and win. To rid the world of fascism, showing everyone that the spirit of a Red Army soldier cannot be broken by the invaders. No one could have imagined that the names of the hero cities would become known to the whole world, that Stalingrad would become a symbol of the fortitude of our people, Leningrad - a symbol of courage, Brest - a symbol of courage. That, along with male warriors, old men, women and children will heroically defend the earth from the fascist plague.
1418 days and nights of war.
Over 26 million human lives...
These photographs have one thing in common: they were taken in the first hours and days of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
On the eve of the war
Soviet border guards on patrol. The photograph is interesting because it was taken for a newspaper at one of the outposts on the western border of the USSR on June 20, 1941, that is, two days before the war.
German air raid
The first to bear the blow were the border guards and the soldiers of the covering units. They not only defended themselves, but also launched counterattacks. For a whole month, the garrison of the Brest Fortress fought in the German rear. Even after the enemy managed to capture the fortress, some of its defenders continued to resist. The last of them was captured by the Germans in the summer of 1942.
The photo was taken on June 24, 1941.
During the first 8 hours of the war, Soviet aviation lost 1,200 aircraft, of which about 900 were lost on the ground (66 airfields were bombed). The Western Special Military District suffered the greatest losses - 738 aircraft (528 on the ground). Having learned about such losses, the head of the district air force, Major General Kopets I.I. shot himself.
On the morning of June 22, Moscow radio broadcast the usual Sunday programs and peaceful music. Soviet citizens learned about the start of the war only at noon, when Vyacheslav Molotov spoke on the radio. He reported: “Today, at 4 o’clock in the morning, without presenting any claims to the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country.”
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Poster from 1941
On the same day, a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was published on the mobilization of those liable for military service born in 1905-1918 in the territory of all military districts. Hundreds of thousands of men and women received summonses, appeared at military registration and enlistment offices, and then were sent in trains to the front.
The mobilization capabilities of the Soviet system, multiplied during the Great Patriotic War by the patriotism and sacrifice of the people, played important role in organizing resistance to the enemy, especially at the initial stage of the war. The call “Everything for the front, everything for victory!” was accepted by all the people. Hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens voluntarily joined the active army. In just a week since the start of the war, over 5 million people were mobilized.
The line between peace and war was invisible, and people did not immediately accept the change in reality. It seemed to many that this was just some kind of masquerade, a misunderstanding and that everything would soon be resolved.
The fascist troops met stubborn resistance in battles near Minsk, Smolensk, Vladimir-Volynsky, Przemysl, Lutsk, Dubno, Rivne, Mogilev, etc.And yet, in the first three weeks of the war, the Red Army troops abandoned Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, a significant part of Ukraine and Moldova. Six days after the start of the war, Minsk fell. The German army advanced in various directions from 350 to 600 km. The Red Army lost almost 800 thousand people.
A turning point in the perception of residents Soviet Union war has certainly become August 14. It was then that the whole country suddenly learned that The Germans occupied Smolensk . It really was a bolt from the blue. While the battles were going on “somewhere there, in the west,” and the reports flashed cities, the location of which many could hardly imagine, it seemed that the war was still far away. Smolensk is not just the name of a city, this word meant a lot. Firstly, it is already more than 400 km from the border, and secondly, it is only 360 km to Moscow. And thirdly, unlike all those Vilno, Grodno and Molodechno, Smolensk is an ancient purely Russian city.
The stubborn resistance of the Red Army in the summer of 1941 thwarted Hitler's plans. The Nazis failed to quickly take either Moscow or Leningrad, and in September the long defense of Leningrad began. In the Arctic Soviet troops in cooperation with the Northern Fleet, they defended Murmansk and the main fleet base - Polyarny. Although in Ukraine in October - November the enemy captured the Donbass, captured Rostov, and broke into the Crimea, yet here, too, his troops were fettered by the defense of Sevastopol. The formations of Army Group South were unable to get through Kerch Strait go to the rear of the Soviet troops remaining in the lower reaches of the Don.
Minsk 1941. Execution of Soviet prisoners of war
September 30th within Operation Typhoon the Germans started general attack on Moscow . Its beginning was unfavorable for the Soviet troops. Bryansk and Vyazma fell. October 10 commander Western Front G.K. was appointed Zhukov. On October 19, Moscow was declared under siege. In bloody battles, the Red Army still managed to stop the enemy. Having strengthened Army Group Center, the German command resumed its attack on Moscow in mid-November. Overcoming the resistance of the Western, Kalinin and right wing of the Southwestern fronts, enemy strike groups bypassed the city from the north and south and by the end of the month reached the Moscow-Volga canal (25-30 km from the capital) and approached Kashira. At this point the German offensive fizzled out. The bloodless Army Group Center was forced to go on the defensive, which was also facilitated by the successful offensive operations of Soviet troops near Tikhvin (November 10 - December 30) and Rostov (November 17 - December 2). On December 6, the Red Army counteroffensive began. , as a result of which the enemy was thrown back 100 - 250 km from Moscow. Kaluga, Kalinin (Tver), Maloyaroslavets and others were liberated.
On guard of the Moscow sky. Autumn 1941
The victory near Moscow had enormous strategic, moral and political significance, since it was the first since the beginning of the war. The immediate threat to Moscow was eliminated.
Although, as a result of the summer-autumn campaign, our army retreated 850 - 1200 km inland, and the most important economic regions fell into the hands of the aggressor, the “blitzkrieg” plans were still thwarted. The Nazi leadership faced the inevitable prospect of a protracted war. The victory near Moscow also changed the balance of power in the international arena. The Soviet Union began to be looked upon as the decisive factor in the Second World War. Japan was forced to refrain from attacking the USSR.
In winter, units of the Red Army carried out offensives on other fronts. However, it was not possible to consolidate the success, primarily due to the dispersal of forces and resources along a front of enormous length.
During the offensive of German troops in May 1942, the Crimean Front was defeated in 10 days on the Kerch Peninsula. On May 15 we had to leave Kerch, and July 4, 1942 after stubborn defense Sevastopol fell. The enemy completely captured Crimea. In July - August, Rostov, Stavropol and Novorossiysk were captured. Stubborn fighting took place in the central part of the Caucasus ridge.
Hundreds of thousands of our compatriots ended up in more than 14 thousand concentration camps, prisons, ghettos scattered throughout Europe. The scale of the tragedy is evidenced by dispassionate figures: in Russia alone, the fascist occupiers shot, strangled in gas chambers, burned, and hanged 1.7 million. people (including 600 thousand children). In total, about 5 million Soviet citizens died in concentration camps.
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But, despite stubborn battles, the Nazis failed to solve their main task - to break into the Transcaucasus to seize the oil reserves of Baku. At the end of September the offensive fascist troops was stopped in the Caucasus.
To contain the enemy onslaught in the eastern direction, the Stalingrad Front was created under the command of Marshal S.K. Tymoshenko. On July 17, 1942, the enemy under the command of General von Paulus struck a powerful blow on the Stalingrad front. In August, the Nazis broke through to the Volga in stubborn battles. From the beginning of September 1942 began heroic defense Stalingrad. The battles were fought literally for every inch of land, for every house. Both sides suffered colossal losses. By mid-November, the Nazis were forced to stop the offensive. The heroic resistance of the Soviet troops made it possible to create favorable conditions for their launching a counteroffensive at Stalingrad and thereby mark the beginning of a radical change in the course of the war.
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By November 1942, almost 40% of the population was under German occupation. The regions captured by the Germans were subject to military and civil administration. In Germany, a special ministry for the affairs of the occupied regions was even created, headed by A. Rosenberg. Political supervision was carried out by the SS and police services. Locally, the occupiers formed the so-called self-government - city and district councils, and the positions of elders were introduced in villages. People who were dissatisfied with Soviet power were invited to cooperate. All residents of the occupied territories, regardless of age, were required to work. In addition to the fact that they participated in the construction of roads and defensive structures, they were forced to neutralize minefields. Civilian population, mostly young people, were also sent to forced labor to Germany, where they were called “ostarbeiter” and were used as cheap labor. In total, 6 million people were kidnapped during the war years. More than 6.5 million people were killed due to hunger and epidemics in the occupied territory, more than 11 million Soviet citizens were shot in camps and at their places of residence.
November 19, 1942 Soviet troops moved to counter-offensive at Stalingrad (Operation Uranus). The forces of the Red Army surrounded 22 divisions and 160 separate units of the Wehrmacht (about 330 thousand people). Hitler's command formed Army Group Don consisting of 30 divisions and tried to break through the encirclement. However, this attempt was unsuccessful. In December, our troops, having defeated this group, launched an attack on Rostov (Operation Saturn). By the beginning of February 1943, our troops eliminated a group of fascist troops that found themselves in a ring. 91 thousand people were taken prisoner, led by the commander of the 6th German Army, General Field Marshal von Paulus. Behind 6.5 months Battle of Stalingrad(July 17, 1942 – February 2, 1943) Germany and its allies lost up to 1.5 million people, as well as a huge amount of equipment. The military power of Nazi Germany was significantly undermined.
The defeat at Stalingrad caused a deep political crisis in Germany. It declared three days of mourning. Morale has dropped German soldiers, defeatist sentiments gripped wide sections of the population, who believed the Fuhrer less and less.
The victory of the Soviet troops at Stalingrad marked the beginning of a radical change in the course of the Second World War. The strategic initiative finally passed into the hands of the Soviet Armed Forces.
In January - February 1943, the Red Army launched an offensive on all fronts. In the Caucasian direction, Soviet troops advanced 500 - 600 km by the summer of 1943. In January 1943, the blockade of Leningrad was broken.
The Wehrmacht command planned summer 1943 carry out a major strategic offensive operation in the area of the Kursk salient (Operation Citadel) , defeat the Soviet troops here, and then strike in the rear Southwestern Front(Operation Panther) and subsequently, building on the success, again create a threat to Moscow. For this purpose, up to 50 divisions were concentrated in the Kursk Bulge area, including 19 tank and motorized divisions, and other units - a total of over 900 thousand people. This group was opposed by the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts, which had 1.3 million people. During the battle on Kursk Bulge the largest tank battle Second World War.
On July 5, 1943, a massive offensive of Soviet troops began. Within 5 - 7 days, our troops, stubbornly defending, stopped the enemy, who had penetrated 10 - 35 km behind the front line, and launched a counter-offensive. It has begun July 12 in the Prokhorovka area , Where The largest oncoming tank battle in the history of war took place (with the participation of up to 1,200 tanks on both sides). In August 1943, our troops captured Orel and Belgorod. In honor of this victory, a salute of 12 artillery salvoes was fired for the first time in Moscow. Continuing the offensive, our troops inflicted a crushing defeat on the Nazis.
In September, Left Bank Ukraine and Donbass were liberated. On November 6, formations of the 1st Ukrainian Front entered Kyiv.
Having thrown the enemy back 200 - 300 km from Moscow, Soviet troops began to liberate Belarus. From that moment on, our command maintained the strategic initiative until the end of the war. From November 1942 to December 1943 Soviet army advanced westward 500 - 1300 km, liberating about 50% of the enemy-occupied territory. 218 enemy divisions were defeated. During this period, great damage was caused to the enemy partisan units, in whose ranks up to 250 thousand people fought.
The significant successes of the Soviet troops in 1943 intensified diplomatic and military-political cooperation between the USSR, the USA and Great Britain. On November 28 - December 1, 1943, the Tehran Conference of the “Big Three” took place with the participation of I. Stalin (USSR), W. Churchill (Great Britain) and F. Roosevelt (USA). The leaders of the leading powers of the anti-Hitler coalition determined the timing of the opening of a second front in Europe ( landing operation"Overlord" was scheduled for May 1944).
Tehran Conference of the “Big Three” with the participation of I. Stalin (USSR), W. Churchill (Great Britain) and F. Roosevelt (USA).
In the spring of 1944, Crimea was cleared of the enemy.
In these favorable conditions, the Western Allies, after two years of preparation, opened a second front in Europe in northern France. June 6, 1944 the combined Anglo-American forces (General D. Eisenhower), numbering over 2.8 million people, up to 11 thousand combat aircraft, over 12 thousand combat and 41 thousand transport ships, crossed the English Channel and Pas de- Calais, began the largest war in years airborne Normandy Operation (Overlord) and entered Paris in August.
Continuing to develop the strategic initiative, in the summer of 1944, Soviet troops launched a powerful offensive in Karelia (June 10 - August 9), Belarus (June 23 - August 29), Western Ukraine (July 13 - August 29) and Moldova (June 20 - 29). August).
During Belarusian operation (code name "Bagration") Army Group Center was defeated, Soviet troops liberated Belarus, Latvia, part of Lithuania, eastern Poland and reached the border with East Prussia.
The victories of Soviet troops in the southern direction in the fall of 1944 helped the Bulgarian, Hungarian, Yugoslav and Czechoslovak peoples in their liberation from fascism.
As a result of military operations in 1944, the state border of the USSR, treacherously violated by Germany in June 1941, was restored along the entire length from the Barents to the Black Sea. The Nazis were expelled from Romania, Bulgaria, and most areas of Poland and Hungary. In these countries, pro-German regimes were overthrown and patriotic forces came to power. The Soviet Army entered the territory of Czechoslovakia.
While the bloc of fascist states was falling apart, anti-Hitler coalition, as evidenced by the success of the Crimean (Yalta) conference of the leaders of the USSR, the United States and Great Britain (from February 4 to 11, 1945).
But still The Soviet Union played a decisive role in defeating the enemy at the final stage. Thanks to the titanic efforts of the entire people, the technical equipment and armament of the army and navy of the USSR by the beginning of 1945 had reached highest level. In January - early April 1945, as a result of a powerful strategic offensive on the entire Soviet-German front with forces on ten fronts, the Soviet Army decisively defeated the main enemy forces. During the East Prussian, Vistula-Oder, West Carpathian and completion of the Budapest operations, Soviet troops created the conditions for further attacks in Pomerania and Silesia, and then for an attack on Berlin. Almost all of Poland and Czechoslovakia, as well as the entire territory of Hungary, were liberated.
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The capture of the capital of the Third Reich and the final defeat of fascism was carried out during Berlin operation (April 16 - May 8, 1945).
April 30 in the bunker of the Reich Chancellery Hitler committed suicide .
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On the morning of May 1, over the Reichstag by sergeants M.A. Egorov and M.V. Kantaria was hoisted the Red Banner as a symbol of the Victory of the Soviet people. On May 2, Soviet troops completely captured the city. Attempts by the new German government, which was headed by Grand Admiral K. Doenitz on May 1, 1945 after the suicide of A. Hitler, to achieve a separate peace with the USA and Great Britain failed.
May 9, 1945 at 0:43 a.m. In the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, the Act of Unconditional Surrender of the Armed Forces of Nazi Germany was signed. From the Soviet side this historical document signed by the war hero, Marshal G.K. Zhukov, from Germany - Field Marshal Keitel. On the same day, the remnants of the last large enemy group on the territory of Czechoslovakia in the Prague region were defeated. City Liberation Day - May 9 became Victory Day of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. The news of the Victory spread throughout the world with lightning speed. The Soviet people, who suffered the greatest losses, greeted it with popular rejoicing. Truly, it was a great holiday “with tears in our eyes.”
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In Moscow, on Victory Day, a festive fireworks display of a thousand guns was fired.
Great Patriotic War 1941-1945
Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK
The war was not sudden
Eduard Agabekov, 86 years old: – In 1941, I was 16 years old. The news of the war found me in Baku. I learned about its beginning from friends. It didn't come as a surprise to me. After all, we read the reports and expected something similar. I really wanted to go, I longed to defend my homeland, but I was only 16, and therefore I became a student at the combined arms infantry school. And then I was drafted to aviation school, after which I worked as a mechanic. I worked for them at the front throughout the war.
The daughter knew that her father would not return
– I was only 5 years old, but I remember it as it is now. We lived in Kushva, all the men immediately began to be drafted, including my dad. Dad hugged mom, they both cried, kissed... I remember how I grabbed him by the tarpaulin boots and shouted: “Dad, don’t leave!” They will kill you there, they will kill you!” When he got on the train, my mother took me in her arms, we were both sobbing, she whispered through her tears: “Wave to dad...” What the hell, I was sobbing so much, I couldn’t move my hand. We never saw him, our breadwinner, again.
This photo was taken shortly before the war. Dina Belykh in a white bow sits on her mother’s lap. Dina Nikolaevna Belykh saw her father in last time 70 years ago, June 22, 1941
At night they waited for summons
Lidiya Shablova, 85 years old: – We were tearing up shingles in the yard to cover the roof. The kitchen window was open and we heard the radio announce that war had begun. The father froze. His hands gave up: “Apparently, we won’t finish the roof anymore...” From that day on, we waited for the summons every night. My father was taken away in October.
In June 1941, Lidia Shablova was 15 years old
Maria Makarovna Karlashova learned that Germany had attacked the Soviet Union only a day after the start of the war.
- We were at Far East. At that time I was a counselor at a pioneer camp,” recalls Maria Makarovna. - There was a fire. The first shift ended. In the morning, the head of the camp woke us up and told us that the war had begun. Life was quickly rebuilt on a war footing. They dug fortifications and made preparations. We expected a war to break out with China or Japan. And we have a border strip - 60 km from the border. But the children - 400 people - were brought to us on the second shift. And in August the same number of children arrived.
Last good night
Klavdiya Bazilevich, 80 years old: – When they announced war on the radio, I felt bad. The neighbor told her mother: “Look at Klava, she’s turned pale!” Everyone was silent at dinner. That night was the last time I slept peacefully, because the next day they started bombing us. 
Klava Bazilevich was 10 years old in 1941
There was a feeling of some caution
The war overtook Dmitry Savelyev in Novokuznetsk: “We gathered at the poles with loudspeakers. We listened carefully to Molotov’s speech. Many felt a certain sense of wariness. After this, the streets began to empty, and after a while food disappeared from the stores. They were not bought up - the supply was simply reduced... People were not afraid, but rather focused, doing everything the government told them. There was such mobilization for labor. They worked unquestioningly, discipline became stricter. We started studying late, finished early and that’s it free time worked in the fields.
Rumors spread throughout the village that the war would be long.
When the war began, 17-year-old Zufar Gilmanov was the eldest man in the family - his father died young. – I lived in the village of Bekeyevo, which is located in Bashkortostan. We didn’t have a radio at home, so I learned about the beginning of the war at the shop (central store), where all the villagers were invited. After the announcer’s words, everyone was shocked; the news was very unexpected. The panic began. Almost everyone ran to the store to stock up on matches and salt. Conversations began about who would be taken and who would not be taken to war. People were afraid because rumors spread very quickly throughout the village that the war would be long. As a result, almost everyone was taken to war. I was afraid that they would take me too. I was worried not for myself, but for my two brothers and sisters. We were left orphans - I was the eldest. I had to feed my family. As a result, they didn’t take me, a disabled person with a broken arm. He worked as a bookkeeper throughout the war.
Mom covered with her body
In June 1941, 16-year-old Alevtina Kotik lived with her parents and younger brother in Lithuania.
“The bombing began at four o’clock in the morning. I woke up from hitting my head on the bed - the ground was shaking from falling bombs. I ran to my parents. Dad said: “The war has begun. We need to get out of here!” We didn’t know who the war started with, we didn’t think about it, it was just very scary. Dad was a military man, and therefore he was able to call a car for us, which took us to the train station. They only took clothes with them. All furniture and household utensils remained. First we traveled on a freight train. I remember how my mother covered me and my brother with her body, then we boarded a passenger train. We learned that there was a war with Germany around 12 noon from people we met. Near the city of Siauliai we saw a large number of wounded, stretchers, doctors. Our path lay in the Moldavian USSR, where we were based before arriving in Moscow.
And the first day of the war was the last time we saw dad alive. He died at the front.
Everyone was confident of victory
Ten-year-old Ninel Karpova was caught in the war in Kharovsk, the regional center. Vologda region:
“We listened to the announcement of the beginning of the war from the loudspeaker at the House of Defense. There were a lot of people crowding there.
I was not upset, on the contrary, I was proud: my father will defend the Motherland. After all, he was a military man. In addition, he and his mother submitted a report to be taken to the front (mother was a doctor). Therefore, I had to stay for the winter to study with my grandparents, which I was very happy about. But mom was not hired, and dad was appointed head of a military school for training junior officers.
In general, people were not afraid. Yes, the women, of course, were upset and cried. But there was no panic. Everyone was confident that we would quickly defeat the Germans. The men said: “Yes, the Germans will flee from us!”
Ninel Karpova
And in addition
The subway has become a refuge
On the first day of the Great Patriotic War, the Moscow metro was turned into a bomb shelter.
Plank floors were laid on the tracks in the tunnels. 4,600 trestle beds and 3,800 cribs were delivered to 20 stations. Toilets were equipped and drinking fountains were installed. In the fall of 1941 alone, more than 500 thousand people a day found refuge there.
217 children were born underground in 1941.
There were 21 medical posts in the subway. 70 thousand people turned there for help in 1941. Film screenings and performances by propaganda teams were held at the stations, and libraries were open. The sale of milk and white bread for children was organized.
The shelter had its own regime
When the threat of bombing became a daily occurrence, the metro was switched to an operating mode in which from 18:00 trains were stopped and Muscovites walked inside.
The townspeople were so accustomed to this regime that an hour and a half before six in the evening, a line of people with suitcases and bundles lined up in front of the metro doors, wanting to take refuge in a safe place.
On the night of June 22, the USSR Ambassador to Germany Dekanozov was summoned to the German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, whose translator, Eric Sommer, became the man through whose mouth Germany declared war on the USSR in Russian.
A memorandum from the German government was read aloud, with many border incidents, border violations, air and ground, and so on.
It is worth making a digression and noting that Soviet planes violated the border more than once.
IN historical literature one can come across the opinion that Ribbentrop, before calling Dekanozov to him, thoroughly “accepted for courage.” But Eric Sommer refutes these allegations: “This is complete nonsense. Ribbentrop was simply worried, but controlled himself. Dekanozov listened to the reading of the memorandum in silence. Together with my immediate superior, Dr. Strack, I watched Dekanozov’s face turn red and his fists clench nervously. The only thing Dekanozov said was “I’m very sorry.” Then he and his translator (Berezhkov) headed for the exit.”
It is still unclear why Soviet authority for a long time hid this fact and spread the myth that Germany attacked without declaring war. This was probably done for propaganda purposes - to give Germany the image of a vile enemy, and, on the contrary, to idealize the USSR.
Molotov: “...Between two and three in the morning they called from Schulenburg to my secretariat, and from my secretariat to Poskrebyshev, that German ambassador Schulenburg wants to see the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov. Well, then I went upstairs from Stalin’s office, we were in the same house, but in different areas. My office faced the corner directly onto Ivan the Great. The members of the Politburo stayed with Stalin, and I went to my place to receive Schulenburg - it took two or three minutes... I received Schulenburg at half past two or at THREE AT NIGHT, I think, no later than THREE HOURS. The German ambassador presented the note at the same time as the attack. They had everything agreed upon, and, apparently, the ambassador had instructions: to appear at such and such an hour, he knew when it would begin..."
(F. Chuev. Molotov. Semi-sovereign ruler. - M.: Olma-Press, 2000)
"...4. June 22, 3 hours 30 minutes: the beginning of the offensive of the ground forces and the flight of aviation across the border. If meteorological conditions delay the departure of aviation, then the ground forces will begin the offensive on their own.
On behalf of:
Halder..."
(Order of the Commander-in-Chief ground forces Germany on setting a date for the attack on the Soviet Union. June 10, 1941
Moscow time in the summer of 1941 was 1 hour ahead of Central European time. What does it mean? This means that there was no treacherous attack. The Soviet Union learned about everything half an hour to an hour before the Germans attacked. Moreover, I learned it both in Germany and in Moscow."
Dmitrij Chmelnizki:
“The note from the German government to the Soviet government dated June 22, 1941 was published long ago, and the tale of a German attack on the USSR without a declaration of war is still popular.
The Soviet government pretended (and always continued to pretend) that there was no declaration of war, because the Note of the German government listed irrefutable signs that the USSR was preparing to attack Germany. Plus, they talked about the contents of the secret protocols to the 1939 pact, the terms of which the USSR violated. Stalin could not discuss this topic.
And so do his successors. And for the current bosses it is also unbearable."
When asked who announced the beginning of the Second World War on the radio and if possible, quote. given by the author Oliya Danilova the best answer is Here is an audio recording of Levitan's voice announcing the beginning of the war...
Here's like a video with Levitan's voice about the beginning of the war
Answer from 2 answers[guru]
Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: who announced the beginning of the Second World War on the radio and, if possible, quote.
Answer from Nika W.[guru]
Levitan
Answer from Andrey Volobuev[guru]
RADIO SPEECH BY V. M. MOLOTOV June 22, 1941
Citizens and women of the Soviet Union!
The Soviet government and its head, Comrade. Stalin instructed me to make the following statement:
Today, at 4 o'clock in the morning, without presenting any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed our cities from their planes - Zhitomir, Kiev, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others, more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Enemy aircraft raids and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory.
This unheard of attack on our country is a treachery unparalleled in the history of civilized nations. The attack on our country was carried out despite the fact that a non-aggression treaty was concluded between the USSR and Germany and the Soviet government fulfilled all the terms of this treaty in all good faith. The attack on our country was carried out despite the fact that during the entire duration of this treaty the German government could never make a single claim against the USSR regarding the implementation of the treaty. All responsibility for this predatory attack on the Soviet Union falls entirely on the German fascist rulers.
Already after the attack, the German ambassador in Moscow, Schulenburg, at 5:30 a.m. told me how people's commissar Foreign Affairs, a statement on behalf of its government that the German government has decided to go to war against the USSR in connection with the concentration of Red Army units at the eastern German border.
In response to this, on behalf of the Soviet government, I stated that until the last minute the German government did not make any claims against the Soviet government, that Germany attacked the USSR, despite the peace-loving position of the Soviet Union, and that thereby fascist Germany was the attacking party.
On behalf of the Government of the Soviet Union, I must also state that at no point did our troops and our aviation allow the border to be violated, and therefore the statement made by Romanian radio this morning that Soviet aviation allegedly fired at Romanian airfields is a complete lie and provocation. The entire today’s declaration by Hitler, who is trying to retroactively concoct incriminating material about the Soviet Union’s non-compliance with the Soviet-German Pact, is the same lie and provocation.
Now that the attack on the Soviet Union has already taken place, the Soviet government has given our troops an order to repulse the bandit attack and expel German troops from the territory of our homeland.
This war is not forced on us by the German people, not by German workers, peasants and intellectuals, whose suffering we well understand, but by a clique of bloodthirsty fascist rulers of Germany who enslaved the French, Czechs, Poles, Serbs, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Greece and other peoples.
The Government of the Soviet Union expresses its unshakable confidence that our valiant army and navy and brave falcons Soviet aviation They will honorably fulfill their duty to their homeland, to the Soviet people, and deal a crushing blow to the aggressor.
This is not the first time our people have had to deal with an attacking, arrogant enemy. At one time, our people responded to Napoleon’s campaign in Russia with a Patriotic War and Napoleon was defeated and came to his collapse. The same will happen to the arrogant Hitler, who announced a new campaign against our country. The Red Army and all our people will once again wage a victorious patriotic war for the homeland, for honor, for freedom.
...
The government calls on you, citizens of the Soviet Union, to rally your ranks even more closely around our glorious Bolshevik Party, around our Soviet government, around our great leader Comrade. Stalin.
Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours.
Answer from Victor Azarov[guru]
Of course Molotov!!
Answer from Olga Letchford[guru]
Levitan: “Today, June 22, 1941 at 4 am, Nazi Germany treacherously attacked the Soviet Union”...
Answer from Lyokha Ipatiev[newbie]
There is a common belief that Yuri Levitan was the first to read the message about the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. In fact, this is not so - the textbook text was first voiced on the radio by USSR Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, and Levitan only repeated it after some time.
22/06/2010
There is a common belief that Yuri Levitan was the first to read the message about the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. In fact, this is not so - the textbook text was first voiced on the radio by USSR Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, and Levitan only repeated it after some time.
M If it was Levitan who informed the country about the beginning of the war, it was replicated in the memoirs of Marshal Zhukov and Rokossovsky. For some reason, the marshals decided to call him the primary source. Levitan was not against it, and when he was later asked how he felt about the fact that this was not true, Levitan replied: “Well, should I now give a public refutation?!” He himself never disputed the legend, but he said the following about what the first day of the war was like for him:
“...The war began for me with a call from the radio committee: “Run to work immediately!” Immediately!" The voice is alarming. But you’re not supposed to ask what happened over the phone.
I'm getting dressed. I'm running.
Radio Committee. Seven in the morning. Quiet female crying, stern looks. Correspondents from different cities are calling vyingly:
- Kyiv is being bombed!..
- Enemy planes are over Minsk...
- Kaunas is burning... What should we tell the population? Why is there no message on the radio?
They called from the Kremlin: “Get ready, there’s a government announcement at twelve o’clock.”
Nine times a day - at intervals of an hour - I read this small tragic message, which began with the words: “Citizens and citizens of the Soviet Union! Today at four o’clock in the morning... without a declaration of war, German troops attacked our country...” .
