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Home , Alexander Pokryshkin, Case Blue, Siege of Leningrad

1941: Operation “Barbarossa”

German Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels makes a radio announcement about the war with the USSR (June 22, 1941):

People in are listening to the war announcement, stunned (June 22, 1941):

The largest invasion in human history begins. 4 million men supported by 600,000 vehicles and 750,000 horses attacked 3,000 kilometer-long front line. Photo: German soldiers crossing the USSR border (June 22, 1941):

The German attack was a complete surprise, and initial Soviet losses were catastrophic. After the first 9 days of war the destroyed 1,400 Soviet airplanes in the air and 3,200 on the ground (40% of the entire USSR air force), while losing only 330 aircraft. Photo: Russian I-16 fighters destroyed at the airport near Minsk, Belarus (June, 1941):

By mid-August, the Soviets had lost 3,300 , while the Germans lost 220, an astonishing 15:1 ratio. Photo: Russian BT-2 and its dead crew (July, 1941):

But the most devastating were human losses. By December of 1941, the USSR had lost 2.7 million soldiers killed and 3.3 million captured – its entire pre-war army. For every German soldier lost, the Soviets lost 20. Photo: Soviet soldiers surrendering (Belarus, July 1941):

The German tanks were unstoppable. During the first 7 days of the invasion they penetrated 300 km into the Soviet territory - 1/3 distance to Moscow:

"" was going well. German soldiers were having fun. Photo: a German soldier posing on a Stalin's head:

But eventually the Soviets recovered from the shock, their resistance stiffened and German losses started piling up. If by August, 1941 the German army had lost only 46,000 men, by December 25% of the German forces were dead or wounded. A unique photo: A German soldier was photographed exactly at the moment when he was killed:

A similar famous Russian photo “Death of a Soldier”:

Battle of Moscow

By November of 1941, was in dire straits. Hitler declared that the war had been won, and cited the evidence: 2 million Soviet prisoners, 22,000 pieces seized or smashed, 18,000 tanks destroyed, 14,500 aircraft shot down. The German army was just 10 miles away from Moscow, and the Soviets had only 90,000 men and 150 tanks left to defend it. The world regarded Moscow surrender as inevitable. To cheer people up, Stalin gave a . Photo: These troops went into the battle straight from the Red Square (Moscow, November 7, 1941):

Desperate times required desperate measures. The trained dogs to run under the German tanks in suicide attacks. Photo: dogs, wrapped in explosives, are walking into the battle (Moscow, 1941):

In December of 1941, the temperature fell to -35 C (-30 Fahrenheit), unusually low even for Russia. The German army was unprepared, and 130,000 cases of frostbite weakened its front line troops:

Thanks to Japan's decision not to attack the USSR, fresh divisions from Siberia – 1 million soldiers and 1,000 tanks - were moved to Moscow, and the Russians counter-attacked:

Fresh, well-equipped troops pushed the exhausted Germans back by 100-200 km. This was the first major defeat suffered by the German army in WW2, and the bloodiest battle to date: 1 million soldiers lost their lives in the . Photo: German soldiers surrendering (Moscow, January 1942):

Siege of Leningrad

At the same time, German Army “North” attacked Leningrad, the second-largest USSR city of 3.3 million people. By September 19, 1941 the Germans were just 12 miles away, and their artillery began a continuous barrage of the city. Photo: an artillery shell explodes on a street of Leningrad (September, 1941):

Leningrad was heavily defended, and Hitler made a decision to besiege it and starve to death. The city was encircled and the started on September 25, 1941. At the time, Leningrad had sufficient food for 20 days; by December – despite reducing rations to the minimum - for 2 days. Photo: a daily ration in Leningrad during the - 125 grams of bread per person. 50% of it was made from saw dust:

As a result, 600,000 - 1,000,000 civilians starved to death. People ate all dogs, cats, birds and rats in the city. 600 people were punished for cannibalism. Photo: frozen corpses of starved people on the streets of Leningrad (winter of 1942):

The hunger was especially tough on 400,000 children who got stuck in the blockade. Photo: a child collapsed and died on the stairs of her home (Leningrad, 1942):

Many kids lost their parents to hunger or bombing. To save them from starvation, many Russian military units adopted the orphans. Photo: little orphan girl Lucy, adopted by the Baltic Fleet sailors (Leningrad, May 1943):

The only way to bring some food into the city was during the winter when the nearby froze. The was called "The ". It was very dangerous – during just the first week of operation, 40 trucks sunk. Photo: trucks delivering food to Leningrad through the Road of Life. Notice how all driver doors are open so that the drivers could jump out if their trucks suddenly fall through the ice:

The lasted 900 days, and cost 2 million lives. Finally, on , 1944 the blockade was broken. Photo: very emotional meeting of Leningrad defenders and break-through troops (Leningrad, January 27, 1944):

Partisans

When the Germans first came, many people who suffered from communism - especially in the Western Ukraine and Baltic countries - welcomed them. Photo: Ukrainian women greeting German troops (Ukraine, 1941):

At the beginning of the occupation, many German soldiers played nice. Photo: a German officer gives chocolate to a Ukrainian child:

The sentiment changed after the German Army was replaced by Einsatzgruppen – SS troops tasked with the implementation of Hitler’s occupation policies. SS started by exterminating the Jews. A famous photo made by an SS officer in the town of Vinnytsa, Ukraine: “The Last Jew of Vinnytsia” (August 25, 1942):

Nazi viewed Slavic people as sub-humans who should either become slaves or be exterminated, and treated them respectively. Photo: 18-year old Russian girl tortured and hanged, her left breast cut off (Russia, 1941):

5 million young people were seized and moved to to work as slaves at the farms and factories. Half of them died. Photo: Soviet youth on the train to Germany (Ukraine, 1942):

During the occupation, SS troops often made public executions. Photo: the first public execution on the occupied territories. The Germans hanged 2 teenagers for helping captured Soviet soldiers (Belarus, November 26, 1941):

The executions were supposed to intimidate the local population, but had the opposite effect: many people joined the armed resistance – “partisans”, which eventually became the largest guerrilla movement in history. Although the exact numbers are not known, estimated 250,000 - 600,000 partisans fought on the occupied Soviet territories. Photo: a Belorussian partisan family (Belarus, 1942):

Partisans became a pain in the Germans' back. In August of 1943, to disrupt German supplies for the Battle of , 100,000 partisans made a coordinated attack on the German railroads, known as a “Rails War”. Photo: partisans dismantling German railways during the operation “Rails War” (August 1943):

The operation was effective: partisans blew up 230,000 rails and 1,000 trains, reducing German supply capacity by 40%. Photo: a German train derailed by the partisans (August, 1943):

1942: Operation “”

In 1942, Stalin expected the Germans to continue their attack on Moscow, and concentrated 50% of the Soviet forces in the center. This was a mistake - Hitler shifted his focus to the oil-rich South. German operation “Case Blue” started on June 3, 1942 and initially was a smashing success. In a few days, German tanks crushed Soviet defenses and moved through virtually undefended grass plains. Photo: German tank column moves through Kuban steppe (summer, 1942):

The Russians desperately tried to slow them down. One of the most famous WW2 photos: “Combat” (“Commander of Battalion”). A young Russian officer rallying soldiers for a counter- attack. A few seconds after the photo was taken he was killed (July 12, 1942):

By August, the Soviet troops were overwhelmed. Desertions and panicked retreats threatened a disintegration of the Russian defenses. On July 28 Stalin issued the notorious Order 227, demanding that commanders create “blocking detachments” to prevent any unauthorized withdrawals from the battles. The order had such a negative effect on the soldiers' morale that many commanders disobeyed it, and 3 months later it was dropped. Photo: NKVD officers setting up a gun machine behind the defensive line (August, 1942):

Stalingrad

On July 17, 1942 the German troops reached Stalingrad, a town of 400,000 people on the River, and the bloodiest battle in human history had begun. Photo: this is how Stalingrad looked a few days before the battle (July, 1942):

And this is how it looked when it was over, 6 months later (February, 1943):

One of the most iconic photos of Stalingrad – “Barmaley Fountain”. The sculpture of the kids dancing around a crocodile is a scene from a Russian fairy tale. “Barmaley Fountain” became a symbol of Stalingrad and was featured in many movies, such as “Enemy at the Gates”:

Hundreds of thousands soldiers clashed in the ruins for several months. The fights were fierce: an average life expectancy of a soldier in Stalingrad was 1 day. During the defense of Stalingrad, 1 Russian soldier died every 25 seconds. Photo: aftermath of an attack (Stalingrad, December 1942):

On November 19, 1942 the Russians launched an unexpected counter-offensive - Operation “Uranium”, and in 4 days surrounded the city, blocking 265,000 German soldiers inside. Attempts to break the blockade failed, and the Germans started suffering from exhaustion, starvation and cold:

Finally, on January 31, 1943 Ernst Paulus, the commander of the German army in Stalingrad, capitulated - against Hitler's orders. A 3-day National Mourning was announced in Germany, and came as a shock to the German public, who believed that the war was almost over. Photo: Field Marshal Paulus and his chief of staff after their surrender:

The was the bloodiest battle ever, with 2,000,000 casualties. For the first time since the invasion, German losses were almost as high as the Russians'. 25% of the entire German military strength on the Eastern front was destroyed. The Battle of Stalingrad marked the point were the Germans lost the strategic initiative for the rest of the war, and in Russia it is considered the turning point of WW2. Photo: captured German soldiers, Stalingrad, . Of the 107,000 captives, only 6,000 returned home, 8 years later:

1943: Operation “Citadel” /

To take revenge for Stalingrad and regain the initiative, Hitler decided to launch a major offensive operation in the summer of 1943 near town of Kursk. By July, both sides had accumulated large forces. The Germans brought in 900,000 soldiers, 2,700 tanks, 2,000 aircraft and 10,000 guns. The deployed 1,300,000 soldiers, 3,400 tanks, 2,900 aircraft and 19,000 guns. Both sides also brought several new weapons into the battle. The Germans made a major upgrade to their armored forces: a very powerful tank destroyer “Ferdinand”, and 2 new tanks - “Tiger” and “Panther”. Photo: "Tiger" tank - perhaps the most advanced (but also the most expensive) tank of WW2. It was a formidable adversary: for every “Tiger” lost, the Russians lost 8 tanks:

The USSR had the answer: SU-152 tank-destroyer. Armed with an enormous 152 caliber gun, they earned a nick-name “Animal Hunter” for their ability to knock out “Tigers” and “Panthers” in one shot:

The Russians also invented PTABs - anti-tank mini-bombs, 2.5 kg shaped-charges that could penetrate top armor of any German tank. Because of their small size, PTABs were used in large quantities to carpet-bomb German tank formations. They became especially deadly in a combination with IL-2 - an armored ground-attack airplane nick-named a “Flying Tank”. It was a unique WW2 aircraft - its entire bottom was made of armor so that it could attack at very low altitudes (as low as 6 meters), and yet survive heavy anti-aircraft gunfire. Photo: IL-2 attacking ground targets during the Battle of Kursk (August 1943):

The Battle of Kursk became known as the largest tank battle in history. On July 12, 1943 two massive tank forces, 850 Soviet against 600 German, collided near village of Prokhorovka in an area of just 3 square miles. Tanks were dueling at point-blank range and often rammed into each other. The crews of the damaged tanks got out and engaged in a bitter hand-to-hand combat. The fighting raged for 8 hours and by the end of the day 700 tanks looked like this:

Based on their experience at Kursk, the Russians had to substantially upgrade their T-34 tanks to catch up with the Germans. Photo: Tank commander Lieutenant Smelov discusses the dents and holes in the armor of the “Tiger” tank he destroyed. It's amazing how many hits the "Tiger" sustained before finally being knocked out:

Kursk was the last German major offensive operation on the Eastern Front. Their offensive capability was broken, and they never regained it:

1944: Operation “Bagration” / D-Day

On June 22, 1944, exactly on the third anniversary of German invasion in Russia, the Soviet Army lunched operation “Bagration” to support the Allied landing in Normandy, which started on June 6. “Bagration” became the largest Allied operation of World War II, and the worst German defeat – its entire “Center” was annihilated, opening the road to Berlin. Photo: a squadron of “Katyusha”s firing rockets at the German positions during operation “Bagration”.

“Katyusha” was a unique weapon that could in 25 seconds release 325 rockets carrying in total 1.6 tons of explosives, and annihilate everything within a 200-by-400 meter area. It was one of the WW2 weapons the Germans feared most. Photo: German military convoy after a Katusha strike (Belarus, July 1944):

For the first time, the Soviets had achieved air superiority. A notable contribution to this success was made by the French team "Normandie" that fought on the Russian side. For their heroism in the battles over the Neman river, they earned a name "Normandie-Neman". After the war, French pilots received their Yak-3 airplanes as gifts. Photo: French pilots between sorties, Belarus, August 1944:

300,000 German prisoners were taken in the operation. The Allies did not believe the numbers, and Stalin ordered to march the captive Germans through Moscow. Photo: German soldiers captured during operation “Bagration” walking in Moscow. The Russian crowd mocked: "You finally made it to Moscow!". September, 1944:

Allies

In WW2, the USSR was allied with the USA and the UK. Photo: The first meeting of Allies: , Franklin Roosevelt, and (Teheran, November 28, 1943):

An important contribution to the Allies' victory was the Lend-Lease program. Its significance for Russia is often misunderstood. It was not its size that made the difference – Lend-Lease was 4% of the USSR war production ($11 out of $300 billion). Rather, it was its composition: Land-Lease provided supplies that the Russians either could not make themselves, or preferred not to, to focus on what they could do best. For example, Allies supplied 90% of the radios, 100% of radars, 60% of trucks, and 100% of armored personnel carriers. But most of all, Lend-Lease was appreciated as an act of friendship and support given during the Russia's darkest days. Photo: President Roosevelt signing the Lend-Lease bill (March 11, 1941):

Many US products were of higher quality and durability. For example, after 1942, Katyusha rocket launcher was mounted only on Studebaker trucks. “Studebaker” was a reliable and powerful vehicle, and Russian soldiers loved it. They translated the letters “U.S.A.” on its side as: “Ubey Suky Adolfa” - “Kill that Son-of-a-bitch Adolf!”. Photo: Katyusha rocket launcher on a Studebaker truck:

To create a southern delivery route for the Lend-Lease supplies, the UK and the together invaded and occupied - a neglected and little-known part of WW2. Iran is still waiting for an apology. Photo: a column of Studebaker trucks in Iran, going to the USSR (1943):

One of the most successful Allied aces, Alexander Pokryshkin (58 confirmed kills), fought on American fighters supplied via Lend-Lease. Photo: Pokryshkin and his teammates posing in front of his Bell P-39 Airacobra:

On June 6, 1944 (D-Day), the Allies invaded France, opening a long-awaited second front. Operation "Overlord" was the largest sea-to-land invasion in history, and perhaps the most logistically complex operation of WW2. It was also an example of the successful military cooperation among the Allies: to prevent the transfer of German forces from the Eastern to the Western front, the Russians simultaneously launched a major offensive in Belarus (Operation “Bagration”). Photo: Allies landing on , Normandy (June 6, 1944):

Allies pushed towards each other, and after 11 months of fighting finally met. The first contact occurred on April 25, 1945 (the "Elbe Day") near German town of Riesa, after First Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue, an American soldier, crossed the River Elbe with his reconnaissance platoon. On the east bank they met a rifle regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Gardiev, the First Ukrainian Front:

There was a time when the Americans and the Russians were genuinely happy to see each other. Photo: U.S. Army Private Byron Shiver of the 273rd Infantry Regiment and Red Army soldier Ivan Numladze (April 25, 1945):

1945: Victory

The Germans made their last stand in Berlin: 1 million men, supported by 1,500 tanks, 2,200 aircraft and 9,300 guns defended the German capital. However, at this point they were overwhelmed: the Russians brought in 3 million men, 3,100 tanks, 7,500 aircraft, and 14,600 guns. Photo: German civilians watching Russian tanks rolling into Berlin:

Hitler appealed to all Germans, young and old, to defend Berlin to the last person. Photo: a German teenager from Volkssturm (a volunteer militia), armed with a Panzerfaust, is waiting for the Russian tanks (Berlin, 1945):

The started on April 16, 1945. The Germans were cornered, and fought for every building. The Russians used Katyashas and heavy artillery to suppress fire, and most of the city was quickly turned into rubble:

The Russian force was overwhelming, and after 16 days of desperate fighting Berlin fell. This is probably the most famous WW2 photo in Russia: Victory Banner raised on Reichstag, May 2, 1945:

On May 7, the Germans surrendered to General Eisenhower in France. Photo: Field Marshal Jodl signs unconditional capitulation (Reims, May 7, 1945):

However, the USSR felt left out and objected. As a result, the Germans had to go through the humiliation again. Photo: Field Marshal Keitel signs capitulation for the second time in Berlin, May 8 (May 9 Moscow time):

Now it's official. The Russian troops were rejoicing everywhere:

3 million people gathered around the Red Square in Moscow. Photo: Muscovites listening to the announcement of the war's end (May 9, 1945):

On June 24, 1945 Moscow held a Victory parade. Photo: Captured German flags and banners on the Red Square, Moscow:

The soldiers finally came home, to re-unite with their loved ones:

What they found upon their return was heart-breaking. One-third of the Soviet Union's wealth was destroyed. 70,000 villages, 1,700 towns, 32,000 factories, 40,000 miles of railroad track were ruined. 25 million people were homeless. It took the USSR 15 years to rebuild its western part. Photo: A woman with her children returned to their home (Belarus, 1944):