In the direction of the main attacks of the Nazis, 257 Soviet border posts held the defense from several hours to one day. The remaining border posts held out from two days to two months. Of the 485 border posts attacked, not a single one withdrew without orders. The story of a day that changed the lives of tens of millions of people forever.
"They suspect nothing of our intentions"
June 21, 1941, 13:00. German troops receive the code signal "Dortmund", confirming that the invasion will begin the next day.
The commander of the 2nd Panzer Group of Army Group Center, Heinz Guderian, writes in his diary: “Careful observation of the Russians convinced me that they were unaware of our intentions. In the courtyard of the Brest fortress, which was visible from our observation points, they were changing the guards to the sounds of an orchestra. The coastal fortifications along the Western Bug were not occupied by Russian troops."
21:00. Soldiers of the 90th border detachment of the Sokal commandant's office detained a German serviceman who crossed the border Bug River by swimming. The defector was sent to the detachment headquarters in the city of Vladimir-Volynsky.
23:00. German minelayers stationed in Finnish ports began to mine the exit from the Gulf of Finland. At the same time, Finnish submarines began laying mines off the coast of Estonia.
June 22, 1941, 0:30. The defector was taken to Vladimir-Volynsky. During interrogation, the soldier identified himself as Alfred Liskov, a soldier of the 221st Regiment of the 15th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht. He said that at dawn on June 22, the German army would go on the offensive along the entire length of the Soviet-German border. The information was transferred to higher command.
At the same time, the transmission of Directive No. 1 of the People's Commissariat of Defense for parts of the western military districts began from Moscow. “During June 22 - 23, 1941, a surprise attack by the Germans on the fronts of LVO, PribOVO, ZAPOVO, KOVO, OdVO is possible. An attack may begin with provocative actions,” the directive said. “The task of our troops is not to succumb to any provocative actions that could cause major complications.”
The units were ordered to be put on combat readiness, to secretly occupy firing points of fortified areas on the state border, and to disperse aircraft to field airfields.
Bring the directive to military units before the start of hostilities fails, as a result of which the measures specified in it are not carried out.
“I realized that it was the Germans who opened fire on our territory”
1:00. The commandants of the sections of the 90th border detachment report to the head of the detachment, Major Bychkovsky: “nothing suspicious was noticed on the adjacent side, everything is calm.”
3:05. A group of 14 German Ju-88 bombers drops 28 magnetic mines near the Kronstadt roadstead.
3:07. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky, reports to the Chief of the General Staff, General Zhukov: “The fleet’s VNOS [air surveillance, warning and communications] system reports the approach of a large number of unknown aircraft from the sea; The fleet is in full combat readiness."
3:10. The NKGB for the Lviv region transmits by telephone message to the NKGB of the Ukrainian SSR the information obtained during the interrogation of the defector Alfred Liskov.
From the memoirs of the head of the 90th border detachment, Major Bychkovsky: “Without finishing the interrogation of the soldier, I heard strong artillery fire in the direction of Ustilug (the first commandant’s office). I realized that it was the Germans who opened fire on our territory, which was immediately confirmed by the interrogated soldier. I immediately began to call the commandant by phone, but the connection was broken..."
3:30. The Chief of Staff of the Western District, General Klimovskikh, reports on an enemy air raid on the cities of Belarus: Brest, Grodno, Lida, Kobrin, Slonim, Baranovichi and others.
3:33. The chief of staff of the Kyiv district, General Purkaev, reports on an air raid on the cities of Ukraine, including Kyiv.
3:40. The commander of the Baltic Military District, General Kuznetsov, reports on enemy air raids on Riga, Siauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas and other cities.
German soldiers cross the state border of the USSR.
“The enemy raid has been repulsed. An attempt to strike our ships was foiled."
3:42. Chief of the General Staff Zhukov calls Stalin and reports that Germany has begun hostilities. Stalin orders Timoshenko and Zhukov to the Kremlin, where an emergency meeting of the Politburo is convened.
3:45. The 1st border outpost of the 86th August border detachment was attacked by an enemy reconnaissance and sabotage group. The outpost personnel under the command of Alexander Sivachev, entering the battle, destroy the attackers.
4:00. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky, reports to Zhukov: “The enemy raid has been repulsed. An attempt to strike our ships was foiled. But there is destruction in Sevastopol.”
4:05. The outposts of the 86th August Border Detachment, including the 1st Border Outpost of Senior Lieutenant Sivachev, come under heavy artillery fire, after which the German offensive begins. Border guards, deprived of communication with the command, engage in battle with superior enemy forces.
4:10. The Western and Baltic special military districts report the beginning of hostilities by German troops on the ground.
4:15. The Nazis open massive artillery fire on Brest Fortress. As a result, warehouses were destroyed, communications were disrupted, and there were a large number of dead and wounded.
4:25. The 45th Wehrmacht Infantry Division begins an attack on the Brest Fortress.
“Protecting not individual countries, but ensuring the security of Europe”
4:30. A meeting of Politburo members begins in the Kremlin. Stalin expresses doubt that what happened is the beginning of a war and does not exclude the possibility of a German provocation. People's Commissar of Defense Timoshenko and Zhukov insist: this is war.
4:55. In the Brest Fortress, the Nazis manage to capture almost half of the territory. Further progress was stopped by a sudden counterattack by the Red Army.
5:00. The German Ambassador to the USSR, Count von Schulenburg, presents the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, Molotov, with a “Note from the German Foreign Ministry to the Soviet Government,” which states: “The German Government cannot remain indifferent to a serious threat on the eastern border, so the Fuhrer has given the order to the German Armed Forces by all means.” avert this threat." An hour after the actual start of hostilities, Germany de jure declares war on the Soviet Union.
5:30. On German radio, Reich Minister of Propaganda Goebbels reads Adolf Hitler's address to the German people in connection with the outbreak of war against Soviet Union: “Now the hour has come when it is necessary to speak out against this conspiracy of the Jewish-Anglo-Saxon warmongers and also the Jewish rulers of the Bolshevik center in Moscow... In this moment“The greatest military action in terms of its length and volume that the world has ever seen is taking place... The task of this front is no longer to protect individual countries, but to ensure the security of Europe and thereby save everyone.”
7:00. Reich Foreign Minister Ribbentrop begins a press conference at which he announces the start of hostilities against the USSR: “The German army has invaded the territory of Bolshevik Russia!”
“The city is burning, why aren’t you broadcasting anything on the radio?”
7:15. Stalin approves the directive to repel the attack of Nazi Germany: “The troops with all their might and means attack enemy forces and destroy them in areas where they violated Soviet border" Transfer of “directive No. 2” due to saboteurs’ disruption of communication lines in the western districts. Moscow does not have a clear picture of what is happening in the combat zone.
9:30. It was decided that at noon, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov would address the Soviet people in connection with the outbreak of war.
10:00. From the memoirs of announcer Yuri Levitan: “They are calling from Minsk: “Enemy planes are over the city,” they are calling from Kaunas: “The city is burning, why don’t you broadcast anything on the radio?”, “Enemy planes are over Kiev.” A woman’s crying, excitement: “Is it really war?..” However, no official messages are transmitted until 12:00 Moscow time on June 22.
10:30. From a report from the headquarters of the 45th German division about the battles on the territory of the Brest Fortress: “The Russians are resisting fiercely, especially behind our attacking companies. In the citadel, the enemy organized a defense with infantry units supported by 35–40 tanks and armored vehicles. Enemy sniper fire resulted in heavy casualties among officers and non-commissioned officers."
11:00. The Baltic, Western and Kiev special military districts were transformed into the North-Western, Western and South-Western fronts.
“The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours"
12:00. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov reads out an appeal to the citizens of the Soviet Union: “Today at 4 o’clock in the morning, without making any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed us with our cities - Zhitomir, Kiev, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others - with their planes, and more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Raids by enemy aircraft and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory... Now that the attack on the Soviet Union has already taken place, the Soviet government has given an order to our troops to repel the bandit attack and expel German troops from the territory of our homeland... The government calls on you, citizens and citizens of the Soviet Union, to rally our 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".
12:30. Advanced German units break into the Belarusian city of Grodno.
13:00. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issues a decree “On the mobilization of those liable for military service...”
“Based on Article 49, paragraph “o” of the USSR Constitution, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR announces mobilization on the territory of the military districts - Leningrad, Baltic special, Western special, Kiev special, Odessa, Kharkov, Oryol, Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Ural, Siberian, Volga, North -Caucasian and Transcaucasian.
Those liable for military service who were born from 1905 to 1918 inclusive are subject to mobilization. The first day of mobilization is June 23, 1941.” Despite the fact that the first day of mobilization is June 23, recruiting stations at military registration and enlistment offices begin to operate by the middle of the day on June 22.
13:30. Chief of the General Staff General Zhukov flies to Kyiv as a representative of the newly created Headquarters of the Main Command on the Southwestern Front.
"Italy also declares war on the Soviet Union"
14:00. The Brest Fortress is completely surrounded by German troops. Soviet units blocked in the citadel continue to offer fierce resistance.
14:05. Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano states: “In view of the current situation, due to the fact that Germany declared war on the USSR, Italy, as an ally of Germany and as a member of the Tripartite Pact, also declares war on the Soviet Union from the moment German troops entered Soviet territory.”
14:10. The 1st border outpost of Alexander Sivachev has been fighting for more than 10 hours. The border guards, who had only small arms and grenades, destroyed up to 60 Nazis and burned three tanks. The wounded commander of the outpost continued to command the battle.
15:00. From the notes of the commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal von Bock: “The question of whether the Russians are carrying out a systematic retreat remains open. There is now plenty of evidence both for and against this.
What is surprising is that nowhere is any significant work of their artillery visible. Heavy artillery fire is conducted only in the northwest of Grodno, where the VIII Army Corps is advancing. Apparently, our air force has an overwhelming superiority over Russian aviation."
Of the 485 border posts attacked, not a single one withdrew without orders.
16:00. After a 12-hour battle, the Nazis took the positions of the 1st border outpost. This became possible only after all the border guards who defended it died. The head of the outpost, Alexander Sivachev, was posthumously awarded the order Patriotic War I degree.
The feat of the outpost of Senior Lieutenant Sivachev was one of hundreds committed by border guards in the first hours and days of the war. On June 22, 1941, the state border of the USSR from the Barents to the Black Sea was guarded by 666 border outposts, 485 of which were attacked on the very first day of the war. Not one of the 485 outposts attacked on June 22 withdrew without orders.
Hitler's command allotted 20 minutes to break the resistance of the border guards. 257 Soviet border posts held their defense from several hours to one day. More than one day - 20, more than two days - 16, more than three days - 20, more than four and five days - 43, from seven to nine days - 4, more than eleven days - 51, more than twelve days - 55, more than 15 days - 51 outpost. Forty-five outposts fought for up to two months.
Of the 19,600 border guards who met the Nazis on June 22 in the direction of the main attack of Army Group Center, more than 16,000 died in the first days of the war.
17:00. Hitler's units manage to occupy the southwestern part of the Brest Fortress, the northeast remained under the control of Soviet troops. Stubborn battles for the fortress will continue for weeks.
“The Church of Christ blesses all Orthodox Christians for the defense of the sacred borders of our Motherland”
18:00. The Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow and Kolomna, addresses the believers with a message: “Fascist robbers attacked our homeland. Trampling all kinds of agreements and promises, they suddenly fell upon us, and now the blood of peaceful citizens is already irrigating our native land... Our Orthodox Church has always shared the fate of the people. She endured trials with him and was consoled by his successes. She will not abandon her people even now... The Church of Christ blesses all Orthodox Christians for the defense of the sacred borders of our Motherland.”
19:00. From the notes of the Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht Ground Forces, Colonel General Franz Halder: “All armies, except the 11th Army of Army Group South in Romania, went on the offensive according to plan. The offensive of our troops, apparently, came as a complete tactical surprise to the enemy along the entire front. Border bridges across the Bug and other rivers were everywhere captured by our troops without a fight and in complete safety. The complete surprise of our offensive for the enemy is evidenced by the fact that the units were taken by surprise in a barracks arrangement, the planes were parked at airfields, covered with tarpaulins, and the advanced units, suddenly attacked by our troops, asked the command about what to do... The Air Force command reported, that today 850 enemy aircraft have been destroyed, including entire squadrons of bombers, which, having taken off without fighter cover, were attacked by our fighters and destroyed.”
20:00. Directive No. 3 of the People's Commissariat of Defense was approved, ordering Soviet troops to launch a counteroffensive with the task of defeating Hitler's troops on the territory of the USSR with further advance into enemy territory. The directive ordered the capture of the Polish city of Lublin by the end of June 24.
“We must provide Russia and the Russian people with all the help we can.”
21:00. Summary of the Red Army High Command for June 22: “At dawn on June 22, 1941, regular troops of the German army attacked our border units on the front from the Baltic to the Black Sea and were held back by them during the first half of the day. In the afternoon, German troops met with the advanced units of the field troops of the Red Army. After fierce fighting, the enemy was repulsed with heavy losses. Only in the Grodno and Kristinopol directions did the enemy manage to achieve minor tactical successes and occupy the towns of Kalwaria, Stoyanuv and Tsekhanovets (the first two are 15 km and the last 10 km from the border).
Enemy aircraft attacked a number of our airfields and populated areas, but everywhere they met decisive resistance from our fighters and anti-aircraft artillery, which inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. We shot down 65 enemy aircraft.”
23:00. Appeal from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the British people in connection with the German attack on the USSR: “At 4 o'clock this morning Hitler attacked Russia. All his usual formalities of treachery were observed with scrupulous precision... suddenly, without a declaration of war, even without an ultimatum, German bombs fell from the sky on Russian cities, German troops violated Russian borders, and an hour later the German ambassador, who just the day before had generously lavished his assurances on the Russians in friendship and almost an alliance, paid a visit to the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs and declared that Russia and Germany were at war...
No one has been more staunchly opposed to communism over the past 25 years than I have been. I will not take back a single word that was said about him. But all this pales in comparison to the spectacle unfolding now.
The past, with its crimes, follies and tragedies, recedes. I see Russian soldiers as they stand on the border of their native land and guard the fields that their fathers have plowed since time immemorial. I see them guarding their homes; their mothers and wives pray - oh, yes, because at such a time everyone prays for the preservation of their loved ones, for the return of their breadwinner, patron, their protectors...
We must provide Russia and the Russian people with all the help we can. We must call on all our friends and allies in all parts of the world to pursue a similar course and pursue it as steadfastly and steadily as we will, to the very end.”
June 22 came to an end. There were still 1,417 days ahead of the worst war in human history.
Vyacheslav Molotov, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR:
“The advisor to the German ambassador, Hilger, shed tears when he handed over the note.”
Anastas Mikoyan, member of the Politburo of the Central Committee:
“Immediately members of the Politburo gathered at Stalin’s. We decided that we should make a radio appearance in connection with the outbreak of the war. Of course, they suggested that Stalin do this. But Stalin refused - let Molotov speak. Of course, this was a mistake. But Stalin was in such a depressed state that he did not know what to say to the people.”
Lazar Kaganovich, member of the Politburo of the Central Committee:
“At night we gathered at Stalin’s when Molotov received Schulenburg. Stalin gave each of us a task—me for transport, Mikoyan for supplies.”
Vasily Pronin, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Moscow City Council:
“On June 21, 1941, at ten o’clock in the evening, the secretary of the Moscow Party Committee, Shcherbakov, and I were summoned to the Kremlin. We had barely sat down when, turning to us, Stalin said: “According to intelligence and defectors, German troops intend to attack our borders tonight. Apparently, a war is starting. Do you have everything ready in urban air defense? Report!" At about 3 o'clock in the morning we were released. About twenty minutes later we arrived at the house. They were waiting for us at the gate. “They called from the Central Committee of the Party,” said the person who greeted us, “and instructed us to convey: the war has begun and we must be on the spot.”
- Georgy Zhukov, Pavel Batov and Konstantin Rokossovsky
- RIA News
Georgy Zhukov, Army General:
“At 4:30 a.m. S.K. Timoshenko and I arrived at the Kremlin. All the summoned members of the Politburo were already assembled. The People's Commissar and I were invited into the office.
I.V. Stalin was pale and sat at the table, holding an unfilled tobacco pipe in his hands.
We reported the situation. J.V. Stalin said in bewilderment:
“Isn’t this a provocation of the German generals?”
“The Germans are bombing our cities in Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states. What a provocation this is...” replied S.K. Timoshenko.
...After some time, V.M. Molotov quickly entered the office:
"The German government has declared war on us."
JV Stalin silently sat down on a chair and thought deeply.
There was a long, painful pause.”
Alexander Vasilevsky,Major General:
“At 4:00 a.m. we learned from the operational authorities of the district headquarters about the bombing of our airfields and cities by German aviation.”
Konstantin Rokossovsky,Lieutenant General:
“At about four o’clock in the morning on June 22, upon receiving a telephone message from headquarters, I was forced to open a special secret operational package. The directive indicated: immediately put the corps on combat readiness and move in the direction of Rivne, Lutsk, Kovel.”
Ivan Bagramyan, Colonel:
“...The first strike of German aviation, although it was unexpected for the troops, did not at all cause panic. In a difficult situation, when everything that could burn was engulfed in flames, when barracks, residential buildings, warehouses were collapsing before our eyes, communications were interrupted, the commanders made every effort to maintain leadership of the troops. They firmly followed the combat instructions that became known to them after opening the packages they kept.”
Semyon Budyonny, Marshal:
“At 4:01 on June 22, 1941, Comrade Timoshenko called me and said that the Germans were bombing Sevastopol and should I report this to Comrade Stalin? I told him that I needed to report immediately, but he said: “You’re calling!” I immediately called and reported not only about Sevastopol, but also about Riga, which the Germans were also bombing. Comrade Stalin asked: “Where is the People’s Commissar?” I answered: “Here next to me” (I was already in the People’s Commissar’s office). Comrade Stalin ordered the phone to be handed over to him...
Thus began the war!”
- RIA News
Joseph Geibo, deputy regiment commander of the 46th IAP, Western Military District:
“...I felt a chill in my chest. In front of me are four twin-engine bombers with black crosses on the wings. I even bit my lip. But these are “Junkers”! German Ju-88 bombers! What to do?.. Another thought arose: “Today is Sunday, and the Germans don’t have training flights on Sundays.” So it's war? Yes, war!
Nikolai Osintsev, chief of staff of the division of the 188th anti-aircraft artillery regiment of the Red Army:
“On the 22nd at 4 o’clock in the morning we heard sounds: boom-boom-boom-boom. It turned out that it was German aircraft that unexpectedly attacked our airfields. Our planes did not even have time to change their airfields and all remained in their places. Almost all of them were destroyed."
Vasily Chelombitko, head of the 7th department of the Academy of Armored and Mechanized Forces:
“On June 22, our regiment stopped to rest in the forest. Suddenly we saw planes flying, the commander announced a drill, but suddenly the planes started bombing us. We realized that a war had begun. Here in the forest at 12 o’clock in the afternoon we listened to Comrade Molotov’s speech on the radio and on the same day at noon we received Chernyakhovsky’s first combat order for the division to move forward, towards Siauliai.”
Yakov Boyko, lieutenant:
“Today, that is. 06/22/41, day off. While I was writing a letter to you, I suddenly heard on the radio that the brutal Nazi fascism was bombing our cities... But this will cost them dearly, and Hitler will no longer live in Berlin... I have only one thing in my soul right now hatred and desire to destroy the enemy where he came from..."
Pyotr Kotelnikov, defender of the Brest Fortress:
“In the morning we were awakened by a strong blow. It broke through the roof. I was stunned. I saw the wounded and killed and realized: this is no longer a training exercise, but a war. Most of the soldiers in our barracks died in the first seconds. I followed the adults and rushed to arms, but they didn’t give me a rifle. Then I, along with one of the Red Army soldiers, rushed to put out the fire at the clothing warehouse.”
Timofey Dombrovsky, Red Army machine gunner:
“Planes poured fire on us from above, artillery - mortars, heavy and light guns - below, on the ground, all at once! We lay down on the bank of the Bug, from where we saw everything that was happening on the opposite bank. Everyone immediately understood what was happening. The Germans attacked - war!
Cultural figures of the USSR
- All-Union Radio announcer Yuri Levitan
Yuri Levitan, announcer:
“When we, the announcers, were called to the radio early in the morning, the calls had already begun to ring out. They call from Minsk: “Enemy planes are over the city,” they call from Kaunas: “The city is burning, why aren’t you broadcasting anything on the radio?”, “Enemy planes are over Kiev.” A woman’s crying, excitement: “Is it really war?”.. And then I remember - I turned on the microphone. In all cases, I remember that I was worried only internally, only internally worried. But here, when I uttered the words “Moscow speaks,” I feel that I can’t speak further - there’s a lump stuck in my throat. They’re already knocking from the control room: “Why are you silent? Continue!” He clenched his fists and continued: “Citizens and women of the Soviet Union...”
Georgy Knyazev, director of the Archive of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Leningrad:
V.M. Molotov’s speech about the attack on the Soviet Union by Germany was broadcast on the radio. The war began at 4 1/2 o'clock in the morning with an attack by German aircraft on Vitebsk, Kovno, Zhitomir, Kyiv, and Sevastopol. There are dead. Soviet troops were given the order to repel the enemy and drive him out of our country. And my heart trembled. Here it is, the moment we were afraid to even think about. Ahead... Who knows what's ahead!
Nikolai Mordvinov, actor:
“Makarenko’s rehearsal was going on... Anorov bursts in without permission... and in an alarming, dull voice announces: “War against fascism, comrades!”
So, the most terrible front has opened!
Woe! Woe!”
Marina Tsvetaeva, poet:
Nikolai Punin, art historian:
“I remembered my first impressions of the war... Molotov’s speech, which was said by A.A., who ran in with disheveled hair (grey) in a black silk Chinese robe . (Anna Andreevna Akhmatova)».
Konstantin Simonov, poet:
“I learned that the war had already begun only at two o’clock in the afternoon. The entire morning of June 22, he wrote poetry and did not answer the phone. And when I approached, the first thing I heard was war.”
Alexander Tvardovsky, poet:
“War with Germany. I’m going to Moscow.”
Olga Bergolts, poet:
Russian emigrants
- Ivan Bunin
- RIA News
Ivan Bunin, writer:
"22nd of June. From a new page I am writing the continuation of this day - a great event - Germany this morning declared war on Russia - and the Finns and Romanians have already “invaded” its “limits.”
Pyotr Makhrov, Lieutenant General:
“The day the Germans declared war on Russia, June 22, 1941, had such a strong effect on my entire being that the next day, the 23rd (the 22nd was Sunday), I sent a registered letter to Bogomolov [ Soviet ambassador in France], asking him to send me to Russia to enlist in the army, at least as a private.”
Citizens of the USSR
- Residents of Leningrad listen to a message about the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union
- RIA News
Lidia Shablova:
“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...”.
Anastasia Nikitina-Arshinova:
“Early in the morning, the children and I were awakened by a terrible roar. Shells and bombs exploded, shrapnel screamed. I grabbed the children and ran out into the street barefoot. We barely had time to grab some clothes with us. There was horror on the street. Above the fortress (Brest) Planes were circling and dropping bombs on us. Women and children rushed around in panic, trying to escape. In front of me lay the wife of one lieutenant and her son - both were killed by a bomb.”
Anatoly Krivenko:
“We lived not far from Arbat, in Bolshoy Afanasyevsky Lane. There was no sun that day, the sky was overcast. I was walking in the yard with the boys, we were kicking a rag ball. And then my mother jumped out of the entrance in one slip, barefoot, running and shouting: “Home! Tolya, go home immediately! War!"
Nina Shinkareva:
“We lived in a village in Smolensk region. That day, mom went to a neighboring village to get eggs and butter, and when she returned, dad and other men had already gone to war. On the same day, residents began to be evacuated. A big car arrived, and my mother put all the clothes on my sister and me, so that in winter we would also have something to wear.”
Anatoly Vokrosh:
“We lived in the village of Pokrov, Moscow region. That day, the guys and I were going to the river to catch crucian carp. My mother caught me on the street and told me to eat first. I went into the house and ate. When he began to spread honey on bread, Molotov’s message about the beginning of the war was heard. After eating, I ran with the boys to the river. We ran around in the bushes, shouting: “The war has begun! Hooray! We will defeat everyone! We absolutely did not understand what this all meant. The adults discussed the news, but I don’t remember there was panic or fear in the village. The villagers were doing their usual things, and on this day and in the following cities, summer residents came.”
Boris Vlasov:
“In June 1941, I arrived in Orel, where I was assigned immediately after graduating from the Hydrometeorological Institute. On the night of June 22, I spent the night in a hotel, since I had not yet managed to transport my things to the allocated apartment. In the morning I heard some fuss and commotion, but I slept through the alarm. The radio announced that an important government message would be broadcast at 12 o'clock. Then I realized that I had slept through not a training alarm, but a combat alarm—the war had begun.”
Alexandra Komarnitskaya:
“I was vacationing in a children’s camp near Moscow. There the camp leadership announced to us that war with Germany had begun. Everyone—the counselors and the children—started crying.”
Ninel Karpova:
“We listened to the message about the beginning of the war from the loudspeaker at the House of Defense. There were a lot of people crowding there. I wasn’t upset, on the contrary, I was proud: my father will defend the Motherland... 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!”
Nikolay Chebykin:
“June 22 was Sunday. Such a sunny day! And my father and I were digging a potato cellar with shovels. About twelve o'clock. About five minutes before, my sister Shura opens the window and says: “They are broadcasting on the radio: “A very important government message will now be transmitted!” Well, we put down our shovels and went to listen. It was Molotov who spoke. And he said that German troops treacherously attacked our country without declaring war. We crossed the state border. The Red Army is fighting hard. And he ended with the words: “Our cause is just! The enemy will be defeated! Victory will be ours!".
German generals
- RIA News
Guderian:
“On the fateful day of June 22, 1941, at 2:10 a.m., I went to the group’s command post and climbed to the observation tower south of Bogukala. At 3:15 a.m. our artillery preparation began. At 3:40 a.m. - the first raid of our dive bombers. At 4:15 a.m. the forward units of the 17th and 18th tank divisions began crossing the Bug. At 6:50 a.m. near Kolodno I crossed the Bug in an assault boat.”
“On June 22, at three hours and minutes, four corps of a tank group, with the support of artillery and aviation, which was part of the 8th Aviation Corps, crossed the state border. Bomber aircraft attacked enemy airfields, with the task of paralyzing the actions of his aircraft.
On the first day, the offensive went completely according to plan.”
Manstein:
“Already on this first day we had to become familiar with the methods by which the war was waged on the Soviet side. One of our reconnaissance patrols, cut off by the enemy, was later found by our troops, he was cut out and brutally mutilated. My adjutant and I traveled a lot to areas where enemy units could still be located, and we decided not to surrender alive into the hands of this enemy.”
Blumentritt:
“The behavior of the Russians, even in the first battle, was strikingly different from the behavior of the Poles and allies who were defeated on the Western Front. Even when surrounded, the Russians steadfastly defended themselves.”
German soldiers and officers
- www.nationaalarchief.nl.
Erich Mende, Chief Lieutenant:
“My commander was twice my age, and he had already fought with the Russians near Narva in 1917, when he was a lieutenant. “Here, in these vast expanses, we will find our death, like Napoleon...” he did not hide his pessimism. “Mende, remember this hour, it marks the end of the old Germany.”
Johann Danzer, artilleryman:
“On the very first day, as soon as we went on the attack, one of our men shot himself with his own weapon. Clutching the rifle between his knees, he inserted the barrel into his mouth and pulled the trigger. This is how the war and all the horrors associated with it ended for him.”
Alfred Durwanger, Lieutenant:
“When we entered the first battle with the Russians, they clearly did not expect us, but they could not be called unprepared either. Enthusiasm (we have) there was no sign of it! Rather, everyone was overcome by a sense of the enormity of the upcoming campaign. And the question immediately arose: where, near what settlement will this campaign end?!”
Hubert Becker, lieutenant:
“It was a hot summer day. We walked across the field, suspecting nothing. Suddenly artillery fire fell on us. That’s how my baptism of fire happened - a strange feeling.”
Helmut Pabst, non-commissioned officer
“The offensive continues. We are constantly moving forward through enemy territory, and we have to constantly change positions. I'm terribly thirsty. There is no time to swallow a piece. By 10 in the morning we were already experienced, shelled fighters who had seen a lot: positions abandoned by the enemy, damaged and burned tanks and vehicles, the first prisoners, the first killed Russians.”
Rudolf Gschöpf, chaplain:
“This artillery barrage, gigantic in its power and coverage of territory, was like an earthquake. Huge mushrooms of smoke were visible everywhere, instantly growing out of the ground. Since there was no talk of any return fire, it seemed to us that we had completely wiped this citadel off the face of the earth.”
Hans Becker, tanker:
“On the Eastern Front I met people who could be called a special race. Already the first attack turned into a battle for life and death.”
By Presidential Decree Russian Federation B. N. Yeltsin dated June 8, 1996 No. 857 in Russia June 22 was declared a “Day of Memory and Sorrow.”
On this day, state flags are lowered at half-mast on the territory of the Russian Federation. All cultural institutions, television channels and radio stations are recommended not to include entertainment events and programs in their programs on this day.
June 22 is celebrated in Belarus ( official name“Day of National Remembrance of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War”) and in Ukraine (“Day of Mourning and Honoring the Memory of War Victims”).
Introduction.
June 22, 1941 is one of the saddest dates in the history of Russia - the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow - the day the Great Patriotic War began.
This day reminds us of all those who died in battle, were tortured in fascist captivity, and died in the rear from hunger and deprivation. We mourn for everyone who, at the cost of their lives, fulfilled their sacred duty, defending our Fatherland in those harsh years.
Early in the morning of June 22, 1941, without a declaration of war fascist Germany attacked the Soviet Union, inflicting a massive blow on military and strategic targets and many cities. Thus began the Great Patriotic War, which lasted 1,418 days and nights, and in which the USSR lost about 27 million people, but was able to survive.
In a difficult, bloody war, the Soviet people made a decisive contribution to the liberation of the peoples of Europe from fascist rule and to the defeat of Hitler’s troops. In many countries, on this day, national flags are lowered and they remember this war and those who died in it. On this day, various commemorative events are held with the lighting of candles, laying flowers at monuments and memorials.
Citizens of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus honor the memory of their compatriots, relatives and friends who fought for the freedom of their Motherland.
The night of June 21-22, 1941. Darkness. Fog. Silence. But the silence is unsettling. The border guards listen carefully. On the opposite bank of the Bug, Nazi troops are completing their final preparations. Thousands of guns are aimed, bombs are attached to planes, tanks are refueled.
Time “X” is approaching - 3.15 (4.15 Moscow time)… Rumble. Explosions. Smoke from fires. Screams of the wounded, cries of women and children. The groan of the earth itself...
At 21:00 on Saturday, June 21, soldiers of the 90th border detachment of the Sokal commandant’s office (Ukraine, modern Lviv region) detained a German soldier who swam across the Bug River.
However, there was no time left. Head of the 90th border detachment M.S. Bychkovsky outlined the situation as follows:
“...Due to the fact that the translators in the detachment are weak, I called a German teacher from the city, who speaks excellent German language, and Liskov again repeated the same thing, that is, that the Germans were preparing to attack the USSR at dawn on June 22, 1941. He called himself a communist and stated that he had come to specifically warn on his personal initiative.
Without finishing the interrogation of the soldier, I heard heavy artillery fire in the direction of Ustilug (the first commandant’s office). I realized that it was the Germans who opened fire on our territory, which was immediately confirmed by the interrogated soldier. I immediately began to call the commandant by phone, but the connection was broken..."
The Great Patriotic War began.
G.K. Zhukov recalls: “At about 24 hours on June 21, the commander of the Kyiv district M.P. Kirponos, who was at his command post in Ternopil, reported via HF that another German soldier had appeared in our units - the 222nd Infantry Regiment 74 1st Infantry Division. He swam across the river, appeared to the border guards and reported that at 4 o'clock the German troops would go on the offensive. M.P. Kirponos was ordered to quickly transmit the directive to the troops to put them on combat readiness...”
However, there was no time left.
The first message about the start of the war arrived at the General Staff at 3:07 a.m. on June 22, 1941.
Zhukov writes: “At 3:07 a.m. the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, F.S., called me on HF. Oktyabrsky and reported: “The fleet’s VNOS [air surveillance, warning and communications] system reports the approach of a large number of unknown aircraft from the sea; the fleet is in full combat readiness. I ask for instructions."
“At 4 o’clock I spoke with F.S. again. Oktyabrsky. He reported in a calm tone: “The enemy raid has been repulsed. An attempt to strike the ships was foiled. But there is destruction in the city."
As can be seen from these lines, the start of the war did not take the Black Sea Fleet by surprise. The air raid was repulsed.
03.30: Chief of Staff of the Western District, General Klimovskikh, reported on an enemy air raid on the cities of Belarus.
03:33 The chief of staff of the Kyiv district, General Purkaev, reported on an air raid on the cities of Ukraine.
03:40: The commander of the Baltic district, General Kuznetsov, reported on the raid on Kaunas and other cities...
Thus, at dawn on June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union without declaring war. Its aircraft carried out a massive attack on airfields, railway junctions, naval bases, military bases and many cities to a depth of 250-300 kilometers from the state border.
Romania, Italy, and a few days later Hungary, Slovakia and Finland opposed the USSR.
Some examples of heroic defense of the borders of our Motherland:
Fascist troops went on the offensive along the entire front. Not everywhere the attack developed according to the scenario conceived by the German General Staff. The Black Sea Fleet repelled the air raid. In the south and north, the Wehrmacht failed to gain an overwhelming advantage. Here heavy positional battles ensued.
Army Group North came across fierce resistance from Soviet tankers near the city of Alytus. Capturing the crossing of the Neman was critical for the advancing German forces. Here, units of the 3rd Tank Group of the Nazis stumbled upon organized resistance from the 5th Tank Division.
Only dive bombers managed to break the resistance of Soviet tankers. The 5th Panzer Division did not have air cover and, under the threat of destruction of manpower and materiel, began to retreat.
Bombers dived at Soviet tanks before noon on June 23. The division lost almost all its armored vehicles and, in fact, ceased to exist. However, on the first day of the war, the tankers did not leave the line and stopped the advance fascist troops inland.
The main blow of the German troops fell on Belarus. Here the Brest Fortress stood in the way of the Nazis. In the first seconds of the war, a hail of bombs fell on the city, followed by heavy artillery fire. After which units of the 45th Infantry Division went on the attack.
The hurricane fire of the Nazis took the defenders of the fortress by surprise. However, the garrison, numbering 7-8 thousand people, offered fierce resistance to the advancing German units.
By mid-day on June 22, the Brest Fortress was completely surrounded. Part of the garrison managed to escape from the “cauldron”; part was blocked and continued to resist.
By the evening of the first day of the war, the Nazis managed to take possession southwestern part fortified cities, the northeast was under the control of Soviet troops. Foci of resistance remained in fascist-controlled territories.
Despite complete encirclement and overwhelming superiority in men and equipment, the Nazis were unable to break the resistance of the defenders of the Brest Fortress. Skirmishes continued here until November 1941.
05:30. Hitler announces the start of war with the USSR
On June 22, 1941, at 5:30 a.m., Reich Minister Dr. Goebbels read out in a special broadcast of Greater German Radio Adolf Hitler's appeal to the German people in connection with the start of the war against the Soviet Union.
“...Today there are 160 Russian divisions on our border,” the address said, in particular. - IN last weeks There are continuous violations of this border, not only ours, but also in the far north and in Romania. Russian pilots amuse themselves by carelessly flying over this border, as if they want to show us that they already feel like masters of this territory. On the night of June 17–18, Russian patrols again invaded Reich territory and were driven out only after a lengthy firefight. But now the hour has come when it is necessary to speak out against this conspiracy of the Jewish-Anglo-Saxon warmongers and also the Jewish rulers of the Bolshevik center in Moscow.
German people! At the moment, the greatest troop movement in terms of length and volume that the world has ever seen is taking place. In alliance with their Finnish comrades are the victorious fighters at Narvik near the Arctic Ocean. German divisions under the command of the conqueror of Norway defend Finnish soil together with Finnish heroes of the struggle for freedom under the command of their marshal. From East Prussia formations of the German eastern front were deployed to the Carpathians. On the banks of the Prut and in the lower reaches of the Danube to the Black Sea coast, Romanian and German soldiers unite under the command of the head of state Antonescu.
The task of this front is no longer to protect individual countries, but to ensure the security of Europe and thereby save everyone.
Therefore, today I have decided to once again place the fate and future of the German Reich and our people in the hands of our soldiers. May the Lord help us in this struggle!”
12:00. Radio speech by V.M. Molotov
At noon on June 22, 1941, Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.M. Molotov read out an appeal to the citizens of the Soviet Union:
“CITIZENS AND CITIZENS 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 Soviet Union regarding the implementation of the treaty. All responsibility for this predatory attack on the Soviet Union falls entirely on the German fascist rulers.
After the attack, the German Ambassador in Moscow Schulenburg at 5:30 a.m. made me, as the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, a statement on behalf of his government that the German government had decided to go to war against the Soviet Union in connection with the concentration of Red Army units near 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 carried out an attack on the Soviet Union, despite the peace-loving position of the Soviet Union, and that thereby fascist Germany is 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 an order to our troops to repel 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 the brave falcons of Soviet aviation will honorably fulfill their duty to their homeland, to Soviet people, and will 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 again wage a victorious patriotic war for their homeland, for honor, for freedom.
The Government of the Soviet Union expresses its firm confidence that the entire population of our country, all workers, peasants and intellectuals, men and women, will treat their duties and their work with due consciousness. Our entire people must now be united and united as never before. Each of us must demand from ourselves and from others discipline, organization, and dedication worthy of a true Soviet patriot in order to provide all the needs of the Red Army, Navy and Air Force to ensure victory over the enemy.
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".
23:00 (GMT). Speech by Winston Churchill on BBC radio.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made a statement on June 22 at 23:00 GMT in connection with the aggression of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union.
“...The Nazi regime is characterized by worst traits communism,” he said, in particular, on BBC radio. “He has no foundations or principles other than greed and the desire for racial domination. In its cruelty and furious aggressiveness it surpasses all forms of human depravity. Over the past 25 years, no one has been a more consistent opponent of communism than me. I won't take back a single word I said about him. But all this pales in comparison to the spectacle now unfolding. The past with its crimes, follies and tragedies disappears.
I see Russian soldiers standing on the threshold of their native land, guarding the fields that their fathers have cultivated since time immemorial.
I see them guarding their homes, where their mothers and wives pray - yes, for there are times when everyone prays - for the safety of their loved ones, for the return of their breadwinner, their protector and support.
I see tens of thousands of Russian villages, where livelihoods are torn from the ground with such difficulty, but where primordial human joys exist, where girls laugh and children play.
I see the vile Nazi war machine approaching all this with its dapper, spur-clanging Prussian officers, with its skilled agents who have just pacified and tied a dozen countries hand and foot.
I also see a gray, trained, obedient mass of fierce Hun soldiers, advancing like clouds of crawling locusts.
I see in the sky German bombers and fighters with still unhealed scars from the wounds inflicted on them by the British, rejoicing that they have found, as it seems to them, easier and more certain prey.
Behind all this noise and thunder, I see a bunch of villains who are planning, organizing and bringing this avalanche of disasters upon humanity... I must declare the decision of His Majesty's Government, and I am sure that the great dominions will agree with this decision in due time, for we must speak out immediately, without a single day of delay. I must make a statement, but can you doubt what our policy will be?
We have only one unchanging goal. We are determined to destroy Hitler and all traces of the Nazi regime. Nothing can turn us away from this, nothing. We will never come to an agreement, we will never enter into negotiations with Hitler or with anyone from his gang. We will fight him on land, we will fight him by sea, we will fight him in the air, until, with God's help, we have rid the earth of his very shadow and freed the nations from his yoke. Any person or state that fights against Nazism will receive our help. Any person or state that goes with Hitler is our enemy...
This is our policy, this is our statement. It follows that We will provide Russia and the Russian people with all the help we can..."
And there were 1418 days of pain and feat of the Soviet people.
A difficult bloody war, which lasted 1,418 days and nights, ended on May 9, 1945 with the complete defeat of the countries of the fascist bloc. The total human losses of the USSR during the war amounted to 26.6 million people.
Of these, more than 8.7 million died on the battlefields, 7.42 million people were deliberately exterminated by the Nazis in occupied territories, and more than 4.1 million died from the brutal conditions of the occupation regime. 5.27 million people were taken to hard labor in Germany and neighboring countries, which were also under German occupation. Of these, a little more than half returned to their homeland - 2.65 million people, 450 thousand immigrated, 2.16 million people died in captivity.
Memorial Day in modern Russia.
Until 1992, the day the Great Patriotic War began was not an official memorial date. By a resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation of July 13, 1992, this day was declared the Day of Remembrance of Defenders of the Fatherland.
On October 24, 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed changes to the law “On the Days of military glory and memorable dates of Russia", which included a new one in the list of memorable dates - June 22 - Day of Remembrance and Sorrow - the day of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War (1941).
On June 22, in memory of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, state flags are lowered at half-mast on Russian territory. In cultural institutions, on television and radio, entertainment events and programs are canceled throughout the day.
The country's leaders lay mourning wreaths at the Tomb on this day. Unknown Soldier in Moscow.
On this day, the peoples of Russia mourn for all compatriots who defended their Fatherland at the cost of their lives or became victims of wars, especially the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
Residents of Russia remember the beginning of the Great Patriotic War with a minute of silence and the ringing of bells; various patriotic events are held throughout the country. In many cities, the first commemorative events take place at the hour when the war began.
On the eve of the anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War, the dedicated to the Day memory and grief traditional youth patriotic event “Memory Train”. Trains from Moscow and St. Petersburg depart to Minsk and Brest. the main objective actions - direct communication on the road between representatives of different generations, which gives young people the opportunity to hear the stories of war participants.
According to tradition, in the Brest Fortress on the Ceremonial Square of the memorial complex, on June 22 at four o’clock in the morning, the requiem meeting “Let us bow to those great years” begins, in which passengers of the “Memory Train” take part. Every year, young people lower wreaths with candles, which were lit from the Eternal Flame of the memorial, into the waters of the Bug River.
Since 1996, in the center of Moscow near the Eternal Flame in the Alexander Garden, an open patriotic event “Memory Watch” has been held annually. Eternal Flame”, during which each participant lights a Memory Candle to pay tribute to the heroic deeds of the courageous Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War.
In 2015, the campaign “Memory Watch. Eternal Flame 2015” became officially all-Russian and was held according to a single standard in hero cities and cities of military glory.
In 2009, a “Memory Alley” was opened on Vorobyovy Gory in Moscow, where on June 22 at 4.00, young people, together with veterans, light candles in memory of the dead and tie bells on tree branches so that their ringing reminds of the price at which Victory was won.
On this day, since 2009, the memorial campaign “Candle of Memory June 22 - Candle of Memory on My Window” has been held annually. More than 1200 cities and settlements in Russia they traditionally take part in it.
In 2015, the “Line of Memory” event was held for the first time in Moscow, during which people with burning candles in their hands came to the Crimean embankment.
Conclusion.
And the mustacheless boys went straight from school to battle, and from battle to immortality. And they received the funeral of their mother and wife. And the native land cried under the enemy occupiers. And it entered every family - war. The holy war that our huge country has embarked on. And she didn’t just survive. We won. At the cost of millions of lives. And we must not forget this. And rewriting history today is a crime! And to call in domestic textbooks the Great Patriotic War, which took the lives of millions of soldiers, children, old people, women, is blasphemy...
Today is a day of mourning, a day of grief, a day of remembrance. Everyone whose fathers and grandfathers gave their lives near Moscow, Stalingrad, Prague, Berlin... Who died of hunger in Leningrad, who shed blood on Mamayev Kurgan, who stood to the last drop of blood in Brest, who fought for Odessa, who lay down on Kursk Bulge who met the last hour on the Oder... Who was tortured in the dungeons of Buchenwald, who died under torture, who went into the forest as a partisan and died destroying the Nazis... Who, having forgotten about childhood and youth, posthumously earned the title of Hero of the Soviet Union... Who went into the last ram... Who pulled the wounded out of the battlefield and covered them with his body... Who prepared shells for the front... Who cried with happiness on May 9, 1945, hearing the long-awaited news of Victory on the radio...
Let us not forget the feat of our fathers and grandfathers. Let us not consign their feat to oblivion.
Radio speech by the Deputy Chairman of the Council
People's Commissars of the USSR and People's Commissar
Foreign Affairs comrade. V.M. MOLOTOV
June 22, 1941.
CITIZENS AND CITIZENS 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 to the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed our cities - Zhitomir, Kiev - from their planes , Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others, and more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Enemy aircraft raids and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory. 
Construction of a Soviet anti-tank ditch in the Smolensk region.
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 period of validity of this treaty the German government was never able to make a single claim against the USSR for the implementation of the treaty. All responsibility for this predatory attack on the Soviet Union falls entirely on the Germans fascist rulers. 
Crashed Soviet planes. 1941
After the attack, the German ambassador in Moscow, Schulenburg, at 5:30 a.m. made me, as the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, a statement on behalf of his government that the German government had decided to go to war against the USSR in connection with the concentration of Red Army units in the eastern German border. 
German soldiers approach newly destroyed Soviet BT-2 tanks.
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 carried out an attack on the USSR, despite the peace-loving position of the Soviet Union, and that thereby fascist Germany is the attacker side. 
Destroyed Soviet tanks.
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. 
Soviet girl volunteers are sent to the front. Summer 1941.
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 was imposed on us not by the German people, not by the 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 . 
June 22, 1941 near the bridge over the San River near the city of Yaroslav. At that time, the San River was the border between German-occupied Poland and the USSR.
The Government of the Soviet Union expresses its unshakable confidence that our valiant army and navy and the brave falcons of Soviet aviation will honorably fulfill their duty to their homeland, to the Soviet people, and will deal a crushing blow to the aggressor. 
The first Soviet prisoners of war, under the supervision of German soldiers, head west along the bridge over the San River near the city of Yaroslav.
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 has announced a new campaign against our country. The Red Army and all our people will again wage a victorious patriotic war for their homeland, for honor, for freedom. 
Nazi troops are fighting near the walls of the Brest Fortress 1941
The Government of the Soviet Union expresses its firm confidence that the entire population of our country, all workers, peasants and intellectuals, men and women, will treat their duties and their work with due consciousness. Our entire people must now be united and united as never before. Each of us must demand from ourselves and from others discipline, organization, and dedication worthy of a true Soviet patriot in order to provide all the needs of the Red Army, Navy and Air Force to ensure victory over the enemy. 
A machine-gun crew of German rangers fires from an MG-34 machine gun. Summer 1941, Army Group North. In the background, the crew is covering the StuG III self-propelled gun.
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. 
Red Army soldiers on the battlefield near Kiev 1941
Plan, Barbarossa,
Fuhrer and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces
National Defense Department
No. 33408/40. Sov. secret.
Fuhrer Headquarters
12/18/40
9 copies
9th copy
DIRECTIVE No. 21
The German armed forces must be prepared to defeat Soviet Russia in a short campaign even before the war against England is over. (Variant "Barbarossa").
Ground forces must use for this purpose all units at their disposal, with the exception of those necessary to protect the occupied territories from any surprises. 
Colonel General Richthofen in a group of officers discussing the situation 1941
Task air force- to release such forces to support ground forces during the eastern campaign so that ground operations can be counted on quickly and at the same time limiting the destruction of the eastern regions of Germany by enemy aircraft to a minimum. However, this concentration of Air Force efforts in the East must be limited by the requirement that all theaters of combat and areas where our military industry is located are reliably protected from enemy air raids and offensive actions against England and especially against its sea communications do not weaken at all. 
Soldiers of a battery of naval heavy artillery under the command of Denninburg, participating in the defense of Odessa, at a gun in 1941.
The main efforts of the navy should also, of course, be concentrated against England during the eastern campaign.
If necessary, I will give the order for the strategic deployment of the Armed Forces against the Soviet Union eight weeks before the scheduled start of operations. 
Participants in the defense of the city of Odessa build barricades
Preparations that require a longer time, since they have not yet begun, should begin now and be completed by May 15, 1941.
It must be of decisive importance that our intentions to attack are not recognized.
Preparatory activities of the highest command authorities should be carried out based on the following basic provisions.
General idea
The main forces of the Russian ground forces located in Western Russia must be destroyed in bold operations through deep, rapid extension of tank wedges. The retreat of combat-ready enemy troops into the wide expanses of Russian territory must be prevented. 
German General Kruger in the vicinity of Leningrad
By rapid pursuit a line must be reached from which the Russian air force will be unable to carry out raids on Imperial German territory.
The ultimate goal of the operation is to create a barrier against Asian Russia along the common line Volga, Arkhangelsk. Thus, if necessary, the last industrial area remaining with the Russians in the Urals can be paralyzed with the help of aviation.
During these operations, the Russian Baltic Fleet will quickly lose its bases and will thus be unable to continue the fight.
Effective actions of the Russian air force must be prevented by our powerful strikes at the very beginning of operations. 
Workers of the Kirov plant go to the front
Allies and their missions
In the war against Soviet Russia on the flanks of our front, we can count on the active participation of Romania and Finland.
The Supreme Command of the Armed Forces will, at the appropriate time, agree on and determine in what form the armed forces of both countries will be subordinated to the German command upon entry into the war.
The task of Romania will be to support with selected troops the advance of the southern flank of the German troops, at least at the beginning of the operation, to pin down the enemy where German forces will not operate, and otherwise to carry out auxiliary service in the rear areas.
Finland must cover the concentration and deployment of a separate German northern group of forces (part of the 21st group), coming from Norway. The Finnish army will conduct combat operations together with these troops. 
A battery fires at the enemy on the outskirts of Moscow
In addition, Finland will be responsible for the capture of the Hanko Peninsula.
It should be considered possible that by the beginning of the operation, Swedish railways and highways will be made available for use by the German group of forces intended for operations in the North.
Carrying out operations
A) Ground forces. (According to operational plans reported to me).
The theater of military operations is divided by the Pripyat swamps into northern and southern parts. The direction of the main attack should be prepared north of the Pripyat marshes. Two army groups should be concentrated here.
The southern of these groups, which is the center of the general front, has the task of attacking with especially strong tank and motorized formations from the Warsaw area and north of it and splitting the enemy forces in Belarus. In this way, the prerequisites will be created for the rotation of powerful units of mobile troops to the north in order to, in cooperation with the Northern Army Group, advancing from East Prussia in the general direction of Leningrad, destroy the enemy forces operating in the Baltic states. Only after completing this urgent task, which should be followed by the capture of Leningrad and Kronstadt, should operations begin to capture Moscow, an important center of communications and military industry. 
Soviet prisoners of war in a transit camp
And only the unexpectedly rapid collapse of the Russian resistance could justify the formulation and implementation of these two tasks simultaneously.
The most important task of the 21st Group also during the Eastern Campaign remains the defense of Norway.
The forces available in addition to this (the mountain corps) should be used in the North primarily for the defense of the Petsamo region and its ore mines, as well as the Arctic Ocean route. Then these forces must, together with Finnish troops, advance to the Murmansk railway in order to disrupt the supply of the Murmansk region via land communications.
Whether such an operation will be carried out by German troops (2-3 divisions) from the Rovaniemi area and south of it depends on Sweden’s willingness to put its railways at our disposal for transporting troops. 
Soviet prisoners of war harnessed to a plow (From trophy photographs confiscated from captured and killed Wehrmacht soldiers)
The main forces of the Finnish army will be tasked with pinning down as much as possible in accordance with the advance of the German northern flank by attacking to the west or on both sides of Lake Ladoga.
a larger number of Russian troops, as well as capture the Hanko Peninsula.
The army group operating south of the Pripyat Marshes must, through concentric attacks, with its main forces on the flanks, destroy the Russian troops located in Ukraine, even before the latter reach the Dnieper. 
A German general inspects a captured Soviet anti-tank gun
For this purpose, the main blow is delivered from the Lublin region in the general direction of Kyiv. At the same time, troops located in Romania cross the river. The rod is in the lower reaches and carries out deep coverage of the enemy. The Romanian army will have the task of shackling the Russian forces located inside the pincers being formed.
At the end of the battles to the south and north of the Pripyat swamps, during the pursuit the following tasks should be ensured:
In the south - timely occupy the militarily and economically important Donetsk basin. 
A group of German soldiers near a pile of Soviet canned food captured as a trophy
In the north - quickly reach Moscow. The capture of this city means a decisive success both politically and economically, not to mention the fact that the Russians will lose their most important railway junction.
B) Air Force. Their task will be to, as far as possible, impede and reduce the effectiveness of counteraction by the Russian air force and support the ground forces in their operations in decisive directions.
This will be primarily necessary on the front of the central army group and on the main direction southern group armies.
Russian railways and communications routes, depending on their importance for the operation, should be cut or disabled through the capture of important objects closest to the combat area (river crossings) by bold actions of airborne troops. 
German machine gunners and machine gunner. Behind the back of the second crew number is a replaceable barrel in a case. Narva, 1941
In order to concentrate all forces to fight against enemy aircraft and to directly support ground forces, raids on military industrial facilities should not be carried out during the operation. Such raids, and primarily against the Urals, will become the order of the day only after the completion of maneuver operations.
B) Navy. In the war against Soviet Russia, he will have the task, while ensuring the defense of his coast, to prevent the enemy’s navy from breaking through from the Baltic Sea. Considering that after reaching Leningrad, the Russian Baltic Fleet will lose its last stronghold and will find itself in a hopeless position, it should be avoided until this moment major operations on the sea. 
Destroyed Soviet airfield. District of Minsk.
After the neutralization of the Russian fleet, the task will be to ensure complete freedom of maritime communications in the Baltic Sea, in particular the supply by sea of the northern flank of the ground forces (mine sweeping).
All orders to be given by the Commanders-in-Chief on the basis of this directive must clearly proceed from the fact that we're talking about about precautions in case Russia changes its current position towards us. 
Column of German troops. Ukraine, July 1941.
The number of officers involved in initial preparations should be as limited as possible. The remaining employees, whose involvement is necessary, should be involved in the work as late as possible and become familiar only with those particular aspects of training that are necessary for the performance of official duties of each of them individually.
Otherwise, there is a danger of serious political and military complications arising as a result of the disclosure of our preparations, the dates of which have not yet been set.
I expect oral reports from the Commanders-in-Chief on their future intentions based on this directive. 
Dead Soviet soldiers, as well as civilians- women and children. Bodies dumped in a roadside ditch like household trash; Dense columns of German troops are calmly moving past along the road.
Report to me about the planned preparatory activities of all types of armed forces and the progress of their implementation through the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces.
Signed: Hitler
Correct: captain (signature)
Supreme Command of the Armed Forces
Operational management headquarters.
National Defense Division (Quartermaster IV)
No. 44125/41. Sov. secret. Fuhrer Headquarters
13.3.41
Base. Directive of the headquarters of the operational leadership (country defense department/1) No. 33408/40 dated 12/18/40 Sov. secret. 
Refugees in the Pskov region.
TROOPS CONCENTRATION DIRECTIVE
(plan "Barbarossa")
General tasks.
Should Russia change her present attitude towards Germany, extensive preparatory measures should be taken as a precaution to enable Soviet Russia to be defeated in a short-lived campaign before the war against England is over. 
German soldiers in a street battle in the Baltic states.
Operations must be carried out in such a way that, through a deep penetration of tank troops, the entire mass of Russian troops located in Western Russia is destroyed.
At the same time, it is necessary to prevent the possibility of the retreat of combat-ready Russian troops into the vast interior regions of the country.
Enemy position. 
Dead Soviet tank crews and tank landing soldiers at the gates of the border outpost. Tank – T-26.
It should be considered most likely that the Russians, using field fortifications reinforced in certain areas on the new and old state borders, as well as numerous water barriers convenient for defense, will enter the battle in large formations west of the Dnieper and Western Dvina rivers. The Russian command will attach particular importance to maintaining its air and naval bases in the Baltic provinces for as long as possible and maintaining its southern flank adjacent to the Black Sea through the use of large forces.
If operations south and north of the Pripyat marshes develop unfavorably, the Russians will try to stop the German offensive along the line of the Dnieper and Western Dvina rivers. 
German collection point for Soviet captured equipment and weapons. On the left are Soviet 45 mm anti-tank guns, then a large number of Maxim heavy machine guns and DP-27 light machine guns, on the right are 82-mm mortars. Summer 1941.
Already when eliminating German breakthroughs, as well as during possible attempts to withdraw endangered troops to the Dnieper and Western Dvina line, one should take into account the possibility of offensive actions by large Russian formations using tanks.
The enemy grouping is given in detail in Appendix Za-g and the reference “Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" dated January 1, 1941.
The idea. 
Damaged T-26.
The first intention of the main command of the ground forces, in accordance with the above task, is to split the front of the main forces of the Russian army, concentrated in the western part of Russia, with quick and deep strikes of powerful mobile groups north and south of the Pripyat swamps and, using this breakthrough, to destroy the disunited groups enemy troops.
South of the Pripyat marshes, Army Group "South" under the command of Field Marshal Rundstedt, using a swift strike from powerful tank formations from the Lublin region, cuts off Soviet troops located in Galicia and Western Ukraine from their communications on the Dnieper, seizes crossings across the river. The Dnieper is in the Kyiv region and to the south of it and thus provides freedom of maneuver to solve subsequent tasks in cooperation with troops operating to the north, or to carry out new tasks in the south of Russia. 
Tank Pz.Kpfw.38(t) from the German 7th Panzer Division on the march. A burning Soviet tank is visible on the left.
North of the Pripyat marshes Army Group Center advances under the command of Field Marshal von Bock. Having brought powerful tank formations into battle, it makes a breakthrough from the Warsaw and Suwalki area in the direction of Smolensk; then turns the tank troops to the north and, together with Army Group North (Field Marshal von Leeb), advancing from East Prussia in the general direction of Leningrad, destroys the Soviet troops located in the Baltic states. Then the troops of Army Group North and the mobile forces of Army Group Center, together with the Finnish army and German troops sent from Norway for this purpose, finally deprive the enemy of the last defensive capabilities in the northern part of Russia. As a result of these operations, freedom of maneuver will be ensured to carry out subsequent tasks in cooperation with German troops advancing in southern Russia. 
A German column passes an abandoned Soviet artillery park.
In the event of a sudden and complete defeat of Russian forces in the north of Russia, the turn of troops to the north disappears and the question of an immediate attack on Moscow may arise.
The start of the offensive will be given with a single order along the entire front from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea (day “B”, time - “U”). 
A damaged German armored personnel carrier in the Smolensk region. August 1941
The basis for conducting combat operations in this operation can be the principles that proved themselves in the Polish campaign. At the same time, however, it should be taken into account that, along with concentrating forces on the directions of the main attacks, it is necessary to attack the enemy also on other sectors of the front.
Only in this way will it be possible to prevent the timely withdrawal of combat-ready enemy forces and destroy them west of the Dnieper-Zap line. Dvina To an even greater extent than before, we should expect the impact of enemy aircraft on ground forces, especially since the German air force will not be fully involved in operations against Russia. Troops must also be prepared for the possibility that the enemy may use chemical agents.
Tasks of army groups and armies: 
The German light tank Pz.Kpfw destroyed by Soviet artillery. II Ausf. C.
A) Army Group South advances with its reinforced left flank in the general direction of Kyiv, with mobile units ahead. The general task is to destroy Soviet troops in Galicia and Western Ukraine further west of the river. Dnieper and timely capture crossings on the Dnieper in the Kyiv area and to the south, thereby creating the preconditions for continuing operations east of the Dnieper. The offensive should be prepared and carried out in such a way that mobile troops were concentrated for a strike from the Lublin area in the direction of Kyiv. 
Soviet refugees walk past an abandoned BT-7A tank.
In accordance with this general task, the army and tank group, guided by direct instructions from the command of Army Group South, must ensure the implementation of the following tasks:
The 11th Army provides cover for Romanian territory against Soviet invasion, keeping in mind Romania's vital importance to the war effort. During the offensive of the troops of Army Group South, the 11th Army pins down the enemy forces opposing it, creating the false impression of a strategic deployment of large forces, and, as the further situation develops, by delivering a number of strikes in cooperation with aviation against the retreating enemy troops, it prevents the organized withdrawal of the Soviet troops for the Dniester.
The takeoff of German Junkers Ju-87 dive bombers from a field airfield in the USSR.
The 1st Tank Group, in cooperation with the troops of the 17th and 6th armies, breaks through the defenses of enemy troops concentrated near the border between Rava-Russkaya and Kovel and, moving through Berdichev, Zhitomir, promptly reaches the river. Dnieper in the Kyiv region and to the south. Subsequently, without wasting time, according to the instructions of the command of Army Group "South", it continues its offensive along the Dnieper in a south-eastern direction in order to prevent withdrawal across the river. Dnieper enemy group operating in Western Ukraine, and destroy it with a blow from the rear.
German infantry passes by broken Soviet vehicles.
The 17th Army breaks through enemy defenses on the border northwest of Lvov. Quickly advancing with her strong left flank, she pushes the enemy back in a southeast direction and destroys him. Subsequently, this army, using the successful advance of the troops of the tank group, immediately enters the Vinnitsa, Berdichev region and, depending on the situation, continues the offensive in a southern or southeastern direction.
Red Army soldiers surrender to SS soldiers.
The 6th Army, in cooperation with formations of the 1st Tank Group, breaks through the enemy front in the area of the city of Lutsk and, covering the northern flank of the army group from possible attacks from the Pripyat swamps, if possible, with its main forces, with maximum speed, follows to Zhitomir troops of the tank group. The army troops must be ready, on instructions from the command of the army group, to turn their main forces to the southeast, west of the river. Dnieper, in order to, in cooperation with the tank group, prevent the retreat of the enemy group operating in Western Ukraine beyond the Dnieper and destroy it.
A rally at the Leningrad Kirov plant about the beginning of the war.
b) Army Group Center, concentrating its main forces on the flanks, splits the enemy forces in Belarus. Mobile formations advancing south and north of Minsk timely connect in the Smolensk region and thus create the preconditions for the interaction of large forces of mobile forces with the troops of Army Group North in order to destroy enemy forces located in the Baltic states and in the Leningrad region.
As part of this task, according to the instructions of the command of Army Group Center, tank groups and armies perform the following tasks:
Battle on the streets of the city of Nemirov (Lvov region, Ukraine) on June 24, 1941, destroyed German SIG 33 guns of the 13th company of the 211th infantry regiment of the 71st infantry division are visible in the background.
The 2nd Tank Group, interacting with the 4th Army, breaks through enemy border fortifications in the Kobrin area and to the north and, quickly advancing to Slutsk and Minsk, in cooperation with the 3rd Tank Group advancing to the area north of Minsk, creates the preconditions for destruction enemy troops located between Bialystok and Minsk. Its further task: in close cooperation with the 3rd Panzer Group, to capture the terrain in the Smolensk region and south of it as quickly as possible, to prevent the concentration of enemy forces in the upper reaches of the Dnieper, thereby preserving Army Group Center freedom of action to carry out subsequent tasks.
Artillerymen of the 29th motorized division of the Wehrmacht from an ambush shot Soviet tanks on the side with a 50-mm PaK 38 cannon. The closest one, on the left, is the T-34 tank. Belarus, 1941.
The 3rd Tank Group, in cooperation with the 9th Army, breaks through enemy border fortifications north of Grodno, rapidly advances to the area north of Minsk and, in cooperation with the 2nd Tank Group advancing from the southwest towards Minsk, creates the preconditions for the destruction of enemy forces located between Bialystok and Minsk. The subsequent task of the 3rd Panzer Group: working closely with the 2nd Panzer Group, to quickly reach the Vitebsk area and further north, to prevent the concentration of enemy forces in the upper Dvina area, thereby ensuring the army group freedom of action in carrying out subsequent tasks. 
The first day of the war in Przemysl (today - Polish city Przemysl) and the first dead invaders on Soviet soil (soldiers of the 101st Light Infantry Division). The city was occupied by German troops on June 22, but was liberated the next morning by Red Army units and border guards and held until June 27.
The 4th Army, delivering the main blow on both sides of Brest-Litovsk, crosses the river. Zap. Bug and thereby opens the way for the 2nd Tank Group to Minsk. The main forces are developing an offensive across the river. Shara at Slonim and further south, using the success of tank groups, in cooperation with the 9th Army, destroys enemy troops located between Bialystok and Minsk. Subsequently, this army follows the 2nd Tank Group, covering its left flank from the Pripyat swamps, and captures the crossing of the river. Berezina between Bobruisk and Berezino and crosses the river. The Dnieper near Mogilev and to the north.
Soldiers and officers of the Red Army surrender to German tank crews.
The 9th Army, in cooperation with the 3rd Tank Group, delivers the main blow with its northern wing to the enemy group located west and north of Grodno, using the success of the tank groups, rapidly advances in the direction of Lida, Vilnius and destroys the enemy forces together with the 4th Army, located between Bialystok and Minsk. Later, following the 3rd Panzer Group, it reaches the river. Zap. Dvina near Polotsk and southeast of it.
German soldiers next to a burning Soviet village.
c) Army Group North has the task of destroying enemy forces operating in the Baltic states and capturing ports on the Baltic Sea, including Leningrad and Kronstadt, depriving the Russian fleet of its bases. Issues of joint actions with powerful mobile forces advancing on Smolensk and subordinate to Army Group Center will be clarified in a timely manner and brought to the attention of the especially high command of the ground forces.
In accordance with this task, Army Group "North" breaks through the enemy's front and, delivering the main blow in the direction of Dvinsk, advances as quickly as possible with its reinforced right flank, throwing mobile troops forward to cross the river. Zap. Dvina, goes to the area northeast of Opochka in order to prevent the retreat of combat-ready Russian forces from the Baltic states to the east and create the preconditions for further successful advance to Leningrad.
Residents of Leningrad at the display window of LenTASS “Latest News” (Sotsialisticheskaya street, building 14 - “Pravda” printing house).
As part of this task, at the direction of the command of Army Group North, the 4th Panzer Group and armies perform the following tasks:
The 4th Tank Group, together with the 16th and 18th armies, breaks through the enemy front between the lake. Vishtynetskoye and dear Tilsit, Siauliai, are moving towards the West. Dvina to the Dvinsk region and further south and seizes a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the river. Zap. Dvina Subsequently, the 4th Panzer Group reaches the area northeast of Opochka as quickly as possible in order from here, depending on the situation, to continue the offensive in a northeastern or northern direction.
German equipment on the march near the city of Yartsevo, Smolensk region.
The 16th Army, in cooperation with the 4th Panzer Group, breaks through the front of the opposing enemy and, delivering the main blow on both sides of the Ebenrode-Kaunas road, with the rapid advance of its strong right flank behind the tank corps, reaches the northern bank of the river as quickly as possible. Zap. Dvina near Dvinsk and south of it. Subsequently, this army, following the 4th Panzer Group, quickly reaches the Opochka area.
Soviet tanks abandoned after the battles near Dubno, July 1941. In the background is a T-35 (model 1938). Two white stripes on the turret are the tactical insignia of the 67th Tank Regiment of the 34th Tank Division of the 8th Mechanized Corps KOVO. In the foreground is a light tank T-26 (model 1939) - from the same division. On June 22, 1941, the division had 7 KV, 38 T-35, 238 T-26 and 25 BT.
The 18th Army breaks through the front of the opposing enemy and, delivering the main blow along the Tilsit, Riga road and to the east, quickly crosses the river with its main forces. Zap. The Dvina near Plavinas and to the south, cuts off enemy units located southwest of Riga and destroys them. Subsequently, quickly moving towards the Pskov-Ostrov line, it prevents the withdrawal of Russian troops to the area south of Lake Peipus and, at the direction of the command of Army Group North, in cooperation with tanks in the area north of Lake Peipus, clears the territory of Estonia from the enemy.
Curious German soldiers inspect a damaged Soviet light tank BT-7. 1941 June.
In the memory of our people, this day will remain not as an ordinary day of summer, but as the day of the beginning of the most terrible and bloody war in the history of the country and in world history.
Real photographs of June 1941.
Hero of the defense of the Brest Fortress, commander of the 44th Infantry Regiment of the 42nd Infantry Division, Major Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov (1900 - 1979).
P.M. Gavrilov led the defense of the Eastern Fort of the Brest Fortress from June 22 to July 23, 1941. He managed to rally all the surviving soldiers and commanders around him different parts and units, close the most vulnerable places for the enemy to break through. Until June 30, the fort's garrison offered organized resistance, staunchly repelling countless enemy attacks and preventing him from breaking into the fort. After the enemy used high-power aerial bombs and destroyed part of the fort's buildings, the Germans managed to break into the fort and capture most of its defenders.
From the beginning of July, Major Gavrilov and the surviving soldiers switched to the tactics of surprise attacks and attacks on the enemy. On July 23, 1941, he was seriously wounded by a shell explosion in the casemate and was captured unconscious. He spent the war years in Nazi concentration camps in Hammelburg and Revensburg, experiencing all the horrors of captivity. Released Soviet troops in May 1945 in the Mauthausen concentration camp. Passed a special inspection and was reinstated military rank. But at the same time he was expelled from the party due to the loss of his party card and being in captivity, which played a negative role in his future fate. Since the fall of 1945 - head of the Soviet camp for Japanese prisoners of war in Siberia during construction railway Abakan-Tayshet. In June 1946 he was transferred to the reserve.
In 1955, he finally found his wife and son, whom he had separated from under bombs in the first hour of the war. In 1956, the book by S.S. was published. Smirnov “Brest Fortress”, based on factual material. This event had a favorable effect on Gavrilov’s fate. He was reinstated in the party and was presented to highest award countries.
On January 30, 1957, for the exemplary performance of military duty during the defense of the Brest Fortress in 1941 and the courage and heroism shown, Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and medal “ Golden Star».
The city of Molotovsk at the hour of declaration of war. Filming location: Molotovsk. Time taken: 06/22/1941. Author: B. Koshkin
View of Belomorsky Avenue in Molotovsk (now Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Region) at the hour of declaration of war. In the distance you can see a crowd of people in front of the city House of Soviets, where the first volunteers were registered. The photo was taken from house No. 17 Belomorsky Prospekt.
On Sunday morning, June 22, 1941, a Komsomol-youth cross-country race was held in Molotovsk. At noon, V. Molotov made a speech, in which he officially announced the treacherous attack of Germany. The performance was repeated several times. Some time later, Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR were issued, announcing the mobilization of those liable for military service born in 1905-1918 in the Arkhangelsk Military District and introducing martial law in the Arkhangelsk region. By evening, a mobilization point was deployed in Molotovsk. During the first three days of its work, in addition to those liable for military service, 318 volunteers arrived.
The city was founded just five years before the start of the war, but its contribution to the overall Victory was significant. Over 14 thousand Molotovites went to the front, over 3.5 thousand died on the battlefields. The 296th reserve ski regiment, the 13th separate ski brigade, and the 169th cadet rifle brigade were formed in the city. There was a port in Molotovsk strategic purpose for receiving Lend-Lease convoys. In the city, 741 thousand rubles were collected for the “Arkhangelsk Collective Farmer” tank column, 150 thousand rubles for the “Molotov Worker” air squadron, 3,350 thousand rubles for two cash and clothing lotteries, a loan for 17 thousand rubles was realized, by February 1942, 1,740 thousand rubles were collected in cash and 2,600 thousand in bonds for the defense fund. By October 1, 1941, 9,920 items were received from Molotovites to be sent to the front; sending gifts to Red Army soldiers was widespread. The city housed three evacuation hospitals of the Karelian Front (No. 2522, 4870 and 4871). In the winter of 1942, part of the team of the Leningrad Komsomol Theater arrived in the city along the “road of life”; in total, over 300 evacuees were accepted. Throughout the war, Molotov Plant No. 402 built large submarine hunters of Project 122A, completed construction of submarines of the “M” and “C” types, repaired Soviet and foreign ships, fired 122,262 armor-piercing shells, 44,375 high-explosive bombs, 2,027 sets of sea trawls .
Source: Severodvinsk City Museum of Local Lore.
Head nurse of the surgical department of the Brest Fortress hospital Praskovya Leontyevna Tkacheva with the wives and children of the Red Army commanders, surrounded by German soldiers. Time taken: 06/25-26/1941.
Soviet amphibious tanks T-38, destroyed in the Brest Fortress. Location: Brest, Belarus, USSR. Time taken: June-July 1941
In the front is a vehicle manufactured in 1937 with an armored hull and turret produced by the Podolsk plant named after Ordzhonikidze. In the background is another T-38 tank. The tanks are located on the territory of the citadel next to the White Palace. It was also located there Combat vehicles 75th separate reconnaissance battalion 6th rifle division 28th Rifle Corps of the 4th Army Western Front, whose armored vehicle fleet was located on the bank at the fork of the Mukhavets River.
German firing points in the Brest Fortress. Time taken: 06/22/1941
After the failure of the surprise capture of the Brest Fortress, the Germans had to dig in. The photo was taken on the North or South Island.
Registration of volunteers for the Red Army at the Oktyabrsky District Military Commissariat of Moscow. Duty officer of the Oktyabrsky district military registration and enlistment office P.N. Gromov reads the statement of volunteer M.M. Grigorieva.
Filming location: Moscow. Time taken: 06/23/1941.
Soviet light tank BT-7, destroyed on June 23, 1941 during the battle in the Alytus area. Location: Lithuania, USSR. Time taken: June-July 1941.
Vehicle from the 5th Tank Division of the 3rd Mechanized Corps of the 11th Army Northwestern Front. Shot in the background german tank Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. E from the 7th Panzer Division of the 39th Motorized Corps of the 3rd Panzer Group of General Hoth.
Flight commander of the 145th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Senior Lieutenant Viktor Petrovich Mironov (1918-1943) with an I-16 fighter.
V.P. Mironov had been in the Red Army since 1937. After graduating from Borisoglebsk VAUL in 1939, he was sent to the 145th IAP. Participant of the Soviet-Finnish war.
Participant of the Great Patriotic War from the first days.
By September 1941, the flight commander of the 145th IAP, senior lieutenant Mironov, had flown 127 combat missions and personally shot down 5 enemy aircraft in 25 air battles. Bombing and assault strikes caused great damage to enemy personnel and equipment.
On June 6, 1942 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Since November 1942 - as part of the 609th IAP, commander of the 2nd AE. Until February 1943, he made 356 combat missions, shot down 10 enemy aircraft personally and 15 in a group.
Soldiers and commanders of the Red Army inspect a captured German Flammpanzer II tank. Time of shooting: July-August 1941. Author: Georgy Petrusov
Soldiers and commanders of the Red Army inspect the captured Flammpanzer II flamethrower tank in the Western direction. On the fender there is an installation of smoke grenade launchers. By June 22, 1941, the 100th and 101st flamethrower tank battalions of the Wehrmacht were equipped with Flammpanzer II flamethrower tanks.
Hero of the Soviet Union, Senior Lieutenant Mikhail Petrovich Galkin (02/12/1917 – 07/21/1942).
Born at the Kochkar mine Chelyabinsk region, in a working-class family. He graduated from the workers' school and worked as a mechanic. Since 1936 in the ranks of the Red Army. In 1937 he graduated from the Voroshilovgrad Military Aviation Pilot School. Participant of the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939 - 1940. Made 82 combat missions. In May 1940 he was awarded the Order of the Red Star.
Since 1941, Lieutenant M.P. Galkin has been in the active army. He fought on the Southern, Southwestern and Volkhov fronts. Until August 1941 he served as part of the 4th IAP, flying I-153 and I-16. At the beginning of August 1941, on the Crimean Isthmus, he was seriously wounded in one of the air battles. By August 1941, flight commander of the 4th Fighter Aviation Regiment (20th Mixed Aviation Division, 9th Army, Southern Front) Lieutenant M.P. Galkin made 58 combat missions, conducted 18 air battles, and shot down 5 enemy aircraft.
From February to July 1942 he fought in the 283rd IAP, where he flew the Yak-7. In January 1942 he was sent to Novosibirsk for instructor work. On March 27, 1942, for courage and military valor shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. From June 1942, he fought on the Volkhov Front as part of the 283rd IAP, where he flew the Yak-7. He won a few more victories.
On July 21, 1942 he died in an air battle in the Kirishi area. Buried in mass grave in the urban village of Budogoshch, Kirishi district, Leningrad region.
Awarded the orders of Lenin, Red Banner, Red Star. A street is named after him high school in the city of Plast, Chelyabinsk region. In the city of Plast, on the Alley of Heroes and the urban village of Budogoshch, a bust was erected.
Soviet heavy tank KV-2 from the 6th Tank Regiment of the 3rd Tank Division of the 1st Mechanized Corps of the North-Western Front, knocked out on July 5, 1941 in the battle for the city of Ostrov. Filming location: Pskov region. Time taken: June-August 1941.
The vehicle was manufactured in June 1941, serial number B-4754. The surviving decommissioning certificates about the KV-2 tank No. 4754 said the following: “The tank was hit - the caterpillar was broken, which fell off. The shell pierced the side armor of the transmission and damaged the control rods and side clutches, making the tank impossible to move. Since the damaged and burning tanks clogged the passage of the bridge, withdrawal was impossible due to the damaged control of the tank and the fallen tracks, and the tank was not able to turn around. The battalion commander gave the order to get out of the tank, while he himself remained in the vehicle to disable the tank. Further fate Captain Rusanov is still unknown; the rest of the crew returned to the unit. The battlefield was immediately occupied by the enemy and the evacuation of the remaining vehicle from the battlefield became impossible.”
Tank crew: vehicle commander Captain Rusanov, driver Zhivoglyadov, gun commander Osipov, radio operator Volchkov, loader Hantsevich.
The commander of the 1st squadron of the 6th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force, Mikhail Vasilyevich Avdeev (09/15/1913 - 06/22/1979) next to his Yak-1 fighter. Time taken: 1942. Author: Nikolai Asnin
From June 1941 he took part in the battles of the Great Patriotic War. He fought the entire war in the 8th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which in April 1942 was renamed the 6th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. At first he was deputy squadron commander, from January 1942 he became squadron commander and from April 1943 to November 1944 he commanded a regiment. By June 1942, Mikhail Avdeev had made more than three hundred combat sorties, shot down 9 enemy aircraft in 63 air battles, and also caused significant damage to enemy troops with assault strikes.
By Decree No. 858 of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 14, 1942, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism of the guard, Captain Mikhail Vasilyevich Avdeev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and medal " Golden Star".
An abandoned Soviet tracked tractor STZ-5-NATI exploded in the forest. Behind the tractor is an abandoned heavy tank KV-2, produced in May - June 1941, from one of the tank divisions of the 7th Mechanized Corps of the Western Front.
Filming location: Belarus, USSR
Time taken: summer 1941.
Squadron commander of the 788th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment, Captain Nikolai Aleksandrovich Kozlov (1917 - 2005).
In June-September 1941 N.A. Kozlov is the deputy commander of the air squadron of the 162nd Fighter Aviation Regiment. He fought on the Western (June 1941) and Bryansk (August-September 1941) fronts. Participated in defensive battles in Belarus and in the Bryansk direction. On September 24, 1941, a German Yu-88 bomber was shot down by a ramming attack from its MiG-3 fighter. During the ramming he was seriously wounded in the left leg and landed by parachute. Until December 1941, he was undergoing treatment in a hospital in the city of Ulyanovsk.
In February-July 1942 - deputy commander of the air squadron of the 439th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment, in July-September 1942 - commander of the air squadron of the 788th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment. He fought as part of the Stalingrad air defense region (April-September 1942). Provided air cover for military installations in the cities of Stalingrad (now Volgograd), and participated in the Battle of Stalingrad. May 25, 1942 near the city of Morozovsk ( Rostov region) made a second ramming attack, shooting down a German Ju-88 bomber. He made an emergency landing on his MiG-3 fighter and was slightly wounded. He spent several days in a hospital in Stalingrad.
In October 1942 - September 1943 - commander of the air squadron of the 910th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment. He fought as part of the Voronezh-Borisoglebsk (October 1942 - June 1943) and Voronezh (June-July 1943) air defense regions, the Western Air Defense Front (July-September 1943). Provided air cover for railway junctions in Voronezh region, participated in the Battle of Kursk.
For the courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated February 14, 1943, Captain Nikolai Aleksandrovich Kozlov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Since August 1943 - commander of the 907th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment. He fought as part of the Western (August 1943 - April 1944) and Northern (April-October 1944) air defense fronts. Provided air cover for front-line communications during the Battle of the Dnieper, the liberation of Right Bank Ukraine, the Korsun-Shevchenko, Belarusian and Berlin operations.
In total, during the war he made 520 combat missions on I-16, MiG-3, Yak-1, Yak-7B and La-5 fighters, in 127 air battles he personally shot down 19 and 3 enemy aircraft as part of a group.
Soviet tanks KV-2 and T-34, stuck while crossing the Maidansky stream. Filming location: Lviv region, Ukraine. Time taken: 06/25/1941. Author: Alois Beck
A KV-2 heavy tank and a T-34 medium tank of the 1940 model with an L-11 cannon from, presumably, the 16th tank regiment of the 8th tank division of the 4th mechanized corps of the Red Army, stuck and then knocked out on June 23, 1941 during time to cross the Maidansky stream. The tanks fought in the area of the village of Stary Maidan, Radekhiv district, Lviv region of Ukraine.
German soldiers examine a Soviet KV-2 tank stuck in the Maidansky stream. Filming location: Lviv region, Ukraine. Filming time: 06/23-29/1941
A heavy tank KV-2 from, presumably, the 16th tank regiment of the 8th tank division of the 4th mechanized corps of the Red Army, stuck and then knocked out on June 23, 1941 while crossing the Maidansky stream. The tanks fought in the area of the village of Stary Maidan, Radekhiv district, Lviv region of Ukraine. It can be seen that the vehicle was under anti-tank artillery fire.
Flight commander of the 2nd Guards Aviation Regiment of the Northern Fleet Air Force, senior lieutenant Vladimir Pavlovich Pokrovsky (1918 - 1998).
V.P. Pokrovsky took part in the Great Patriotic War from June 1941, first as part of the 72nd mixed, from October 1941 - as part of the 78th fighter air regiment of the Northern Fleet, and then again in the 72nd mixed (then 2nd Guards mixed) air regiment. On December 26, 1942, while protecting an allied convoy, he shot down a German fighter, but was also shot down. He parachuted out and was rescued from the waters of the Kola Bay by Allied sailors. By May 1943, V.P. Pokrovsky made 350 combat missions, conducted 60 air battles, personally shot down 13 aircraft and in the group - 6 enemy aircraft.
For the exemplary performance of command assignments on the front of the fight against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 24, 1943, Guard Captain Pokrovsky Vladimir Pavlovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Since the summer of 1943 - commander of a training squadron at the course for commanders of the Naval Air Force units.
A German soldier poses on a T-34 tank that was shot down on the road in the Dubno area
Tank T-34 tank with L-11 cannon, manufactured in October 1940. Serial number 682-35. The tank belonged to the 12th Tank Division of the 8th Mechanized Corps of the 26th Army of the Southwestern Front. Shot down in the Dubno area, possibly the south-eastern entrance to Dubno. According to the inscription on the right side, the tank was hit by soldiers of the 111th Infantry Division and the Hermann Goering regiment. Presumably, the tank was hit on June 29, 1941.
Soviet medium tank T-34 with L-11 cannon, manufactured in October 1940, knocked out near the road near the south-eastern entrance to Dubno. The serial number of the tank is 682-35. The vehicle belonged to the 12th Tank Division of the 8th Mechanized Corps of the 26th Army of the Southwestern Front. According to the autograph on the right side, the tank was hit by soldiers of the 111th Infantry Division and the Hermann Goering regiment. The tank may have been hit on June 29, 1941. In the background, on the right side of the photo, you can see a damaged T-26 tank. From this angle, another damaged T-26 tank is visible. The same car from a different angle with the deceased tanker.
Soviet T-34 tank shot down on the road and killed soviet tankman next to him. Tank T-34 tank with L-11 cannon, manufactured in October 1940. Serial number 682-35. The tank belonged to the 12th Tank Division of the 8th Mechanized Corps of the 26th Army of the Southwestern Front. Shot down in the Dubno area, possibly the south-eastern entrance to Dubno. According to the autograph on the starboard side, it was shot down by soldiers of the 111th Infantry Division and the Hermann Goering Regiment. The tank may have been hit on June 29, 1941. In the middle of the road lies the driver's hatch.
Hero of the Soviet Union, pilot of the 3rd squadron of the 158th air defense fighter regiment, junior lieutenant Mikhail Petrovich Zhukov (1917-1943), poses for a photograph in front of his I-16 fighter.
M.P. Zhukov had been part of the regiment since October 1940. He made his first combat mission on June 22, 1941. On June 29, 1941, in his third combat mission, he destroyed a Junkers Ju-88 bomber with a ramming attack.
He fought in the skies of Leningrad, accompanied transport planes, covered ports on Lake Ladoga and the Volkhov hydroelectric power station. Was injured. At the end of 1941 he mastered the P-40E fighter.
January 12, 1943 M.P. Zhukov (by that time a senior lieutenant, flight commander of the 158th IAP) died in an air battle near the village of Moskovskaya Dubrovka. In total, he made 286 combat missions, conducted 66 air battles, shot down 9 enemy aircraft personally and 5 in a group.
Leningraders on 25th October Avenue (currently Nevsky Prospekt) near the boarded-up window of the Eliseevsky Store (officially called Grocery Store No. 1 Central). Author: Anatoly Garanin.
The boards contain “TASS Windows,” which first appeared in Leningrad in grocery store windows on June 24, 1941.
Hero of the Soviet Union Captain Alexey Nikolaevich Katrich (1917 - 2004).
A.N. Katrich graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots in 1938. He served in the Air Force as a pilot in a fighter aviation regiment (in the Moscow Military District). Participant of the Great Patriotic War: in June 1941 - June 1942 - pilot, deputy commander and commander of the air squadron of the 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Moscow Air Defense Zone). Participated in the defense of Moscow, the protection of the city and rear communications of the Western Front from attacks by enemy bombers. On August 11, 1941, in an air battle, he shot down an enemy Dornier Do-215 reconnaissance aircraft with a ram at an altitude of 9,000 meters, after which he landed safely at his airfield.
For the courage and heroism shown in battles, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated October 28, 1941, Lieutenant Alexei Nikolaevich Katrich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
In June 1942 - October 1943, Katrich was the commander of the air squadron of the 12th Guards Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment. He fought as part of the Moscow and Western Air Defense Fronts. Participated in the defense of Moscow and rear communications of the Western Front from attacks by enemy bombers. In total, during the war he made 258 combat missions on MiG-3, Yak-1 and Yak-9 fighters, in 27 air battles he personally shot down 5 and as part of a group 9 enemy aircraft (M.Yu. Bykov in his research points to 5 personal and 7 group victories). In November 1943 - January 1946 - navigator of the 12th Guards Air Defense Fighter Aviation Regiment, until 1944 he carried out combat duty in the air defense system of the city of Moscow.
Lieutenant-Commander Gurin commanded the destroyer Gremyashchiy on sea voyages escorting and guarding convoys, raiding operations on enemy ports and communications. Under his command, the destroyer completed 21 combat campaigns in 1941 and more than 30 in 1942. The destroyer's crew carried out 6 artillery fires on enemy troops on the coast, 4 laying minefields, participated in escorting 26 convoys, sank the German submarine "U-585" (March 30, 1942, Kildin Island area), together with a group of Soviet and British ships repelled an attack by a group of German destroyers on a convoy they were guarding (one enemy destroyer was sunk in this battle), and shot down 6 German aircraft.
In October 1942, A.I. Gurin was appointed commander of the 2nd division of the Northern Fleet destroyer brigade. From September 1944 to October 1945, he commanded the 1st destroyer division of the Northern Fleet squadron. During the Petsamo-Kirkines operation, he personally led the division during combat missions of artillery support for two naval landings and during the offensive of the forces of the Karelian Front along the coast of the Barents Sea. Captain 1st rank (1.09.1944).
Destroyer division under the command of Captain 1st Rank Gurin A.I. escorted allied convoys, carried out tasks to support the positions of our troops, shelled bases and searched for enemy ships and convoys. By May 1945, A.I. Gurin made over 100 different combat trips to sea and covered 79,370 nautical miles.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal to captain 1st rank Gurin Anton Iosifovich was awarded by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 8, 1945.
A group of Red Army soldiers who died on June 29-30, 1941 during a battle with units of the German 29th Infantry Division near the village of Ozernitsa, north of the Zelva-Slonim highway. Location: Slonim district, Belarus, USSR. Time of shooting: 06/29-30/1941.
In the background you can see a damaged T-34 tank from the 6th Mechanized Corps. In this battle, the headquarters of the 6th Mechanized Corps was ambushed.
Sergeant Gavriil Ivanovich Zalozny (born in 1901, right) at the Maxim machine gun. Time taken: 1941.
Gavriil Ivanovich Zalozny was drafted into the Red Army on June 26, 1941. Fought in the Western and Southwestern fronts. On September 23, 1941, he was shell-shocked and captured. Released in February 1944 and enlisted in the 230th Reserve Regiment, from July 1944 - commander of the Maxim machine gun crew of the 12th Shock Assault Rifle Battalion of the 1st Shock Assault Rifle Regiment of the 53rd Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. . Then he served in the 310th Guards Rifle Regiment.
Medical instructor of the 369th separate marine battalion, Chief Petty Officer E.I. Mikhailov in the Kerch region
Medical instructor of the 369th separate battalion Marine Corps Danube Military Flotilla Chief Petty Officer Ekaterina Illarionovna Mikhailova (Demina) (b. 1925).
In the Red Army since June 1941 (added two years to her 15 years). In the battles near Gzhatsk she was seriously wounded in the leg. She was treated in hospitals in the Urals and Baku. After recovery, from January 1942 she served on the military hospital ship "Red Moscow", which transported the wounded from Stalingrad to Krasnovodsk. There she was awarded the rank of chief petty officer, and for her exemplary service she was awarded the “Excellent Achiever” badge Navy" Among the volunteers she was enrolled as a sanitary instructor in the 369th separate battalion Marine Corps. The battalion was part of the Azov and then the Danube military flotillas. With this battalion, which later received the honorary name “Kerch Red Banner”, Mikhailova fought through the waters and shores of the Caucasus and Crimea, the Azov and Black Seas, the Dniester and the Danube, with a liberation mission - across the lands of Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Austria. Together with the soldiers of the battalion, she entered into battle, repelled enemy counterattacks, carried the wounded from the battlefield, and provided them with first aid. She was wounded three times.
On August 22, 1944, when crossing the Dniester estuary as part of the landing force, Chief Petty Officer E.I. Mikhailova was one of the first to reach the shore, provided first aid to seventeen seriously wounded sailors, suppressed the fire of a heavy machine gun, threw grenades at the bunker and destroyed over ten Nazis. December 4, 1944 E.I. Mikhailova in landing operation to capture the port of Prahovo and the fortress of Ilok (Yugoslavia), being wounded, she continued to provide medical care soldiers and, saving their lives, destroyed 5 enemy soldiers with a machine gun. After recovery, she returned to duty. As part of the 369th Marine Battalion, she fought for the Imperial Bridge in the Austrian capital of Vienna. Here she celebrated the Victory on May 9, 1945.
E.I. Mikhailova is the only woman to serve in Marine Corps intelligence. She was awarded the Order of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st and 2nd degrees, medals, including the Medal for Courage and the Florence Nightingale Medal.
To the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, Chief Petty Officer E.I. Mikhailova was presented in August and December 1944, but the award did not take place.
By decree of the President of the USSR dated May 5, 1990, Demina (Mikhailova) Ekaterina Illarionovna was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 11608).
