Soviet scientists made an important contribution to the victory over fascism: physicists created theoretical and experimental prerequisites for the design of new types of weapons; mathematicians have developed techniques for the fastest calculations for artillery, aviation and warships; chemists have found new ways of producing explosives, alloys, pharmaceuticals; biologists have found additional food resources for the Red Army. Scientists were able to mobilize resources and develop the productive forces of the eastern regions.

Let us note a number of the most important achievements of Soviet scientists in the field of military-applied scientific knowledge of the modification of military equipment:

· Development of new methods of radar (group of academician A.F. Ioffe);

· Creation of new optical devices (group of academician SI Vavilov);

· Development of methods for protecting Soviet ships from mines (I. V. Kurchatov, I. Ye. Tamm, A. P. Aleksandrov, etc.);

· Development of nuclear physics (Yu. B. Khariton) and rocketry; in the summer of 1942, experiments on the decomposition of neurons began in Kazan;

· Creation in 1941 of the P-3 radar system with a detection range of 130 km, which was the first station to determine not only the range and azimuth, but also the target height; provision of radio stations with frequency modulation to Soviet troops in 1943; in the same year, the TAI-43 telephone set was developed for the first time (O. Repina and others), which provided a single inductor call system;

· Introduction into mass production of samples of military equipment developed in the 30s. (Il-2, Yak-1, LAGG-3, MiG-3, Pe-2 aircraft; T-34, KV tanks; BM-13 Katyusha rocket launcher, etc.) and the development of new weapons standards (aircraft modifications Ilyushin, Petlyakov, Yakovlev, the creation in May 1942 of a jet aircraft, an assault rifle by GS Shpagin, anti-tank rifles of VA Degtyarev and SG Smirnov);

The transition of thousands of factories and factories of the civilian sector to the production of military equipment and other defense products became a real national feat. So, heavy engineering plants, tractor, automobile and shipbuilding plants were switched to the manufacture of tanks. With the merger of three enterprises - the base Chelyabinsk Tractor, Leningrad Kirov and Kharkov Diesel - the largest tank-building plant ("Tankograd") arose. The mortar industry was created on the basis of agricultural engineering enterprises. Nitrogen and sulfuric acid plants became suppliers of raw materials for the production of gunpowder.

Thus, Soviet scientists and designers made their contribution to the Victory, to providing the army with the best weapons and military equipment in the world. Scientific institutes and laboratories evacuated to the east of the country successfully solved complex problems in achieving technical superiority over the enemy.

During the Great Patriotic War, science made a significant contribution to the development of the defense potential of the USSR. In the second half of 1941, 76 research institutes were evacuated to the east of the country, which included 118 academicians, 182 corresponding members of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and thousands of scientific workers. All scientific activities were directed by the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences in Sverdlovsk. In this city in May 1942, at the general meeting of the academy, the tasks faced by scientists in the conditions of war were discussed. The leading directions of scientific research were the development of military-technical problems, scientific assistance to industry, the mobilization of raw materials, for this, intersectoral commissions and committees were created. At the end of 1941, a commission was created to mobilize the resources of the Urals, which also oversees the reserves of Siberia and Kazakhstan. The commission was headed by academicians A.A. Baikov. I.P. Bardin, S.G. Strumilin, M.A. Pavlov and others. In close cooperation with practical engineers, scientists have found methods of casting steel, high-speed metal melting in open-hearth furnaces and achieved high quality.

Scientists A.P. Alexandrov, B.A. Gaev, A.R. Regel successfully solved the problem of mine protection of ships. In 1943, a technology was developed for separating plutonium from irradiated uranium. In the fall of 1944, under the leadership of Academician I.V. Kurchatov, a variant of an atomic bomb with a spherical detonation "inward" was created, and in early 1945 a plant for the production of weapons-grade plutonium was launched.

During these years, scientists from the USSR achieved significant success in the field of biology, medicine and agriculture. Scientists found new plant raw materials for industry, looked for ways to increase the productivity of food and industrial crops. So, in the eastern regions of the country, the cultivation of sugar beet was urgently mastered.

During this period, the activities of medical scientists were of great importance: academicians N.N. Burdenko, A.N. Bakuleva, L.A. Orbeli, A.I. Abrikosov, professors-surgeons S.S. Yudin and A.V. Vishnevsky, who introduced into practice new methods and means of treating sick and wounded soldiers. Doctor of Medical Sciences V.K. Modestov proposed replacing absorbent cotton wool with cellulose wool, introduced the use of turbine oil as a basis for the manufacture of ointments.

Creators of weapons and military equipment during the war years they worked fruitfully. Particular attention was paid to improving quality artillery systems and mortars. Much credit in this area belongs to the scientists and designers V.G. Grabin, I.I. Ivanov, M. Ya. Krupchatnikov, F.F. Petrov. B.I. Shavyrin and others.

The successes of small arms were achieved with the leading role of designers N.E. Berezina, S.V. Vladimirova, V.A. Degtyareva, S.G. Simonova, F.V. Tokareva, G.S. Shpagin, B.G. Shpitalny. It should be noted that about half of all types of small arms and the overwhelming number of new types of artillery systems in service in the army in 1945 were created and launched in series during the war. The calibers of tank and anti-tank artillery have almost doubled, and the armor penetration of shells has increased by about five times. During the war, the USSR began to surpass Germany in terms of the average annual production of field artillery by more than 2 times, mortars - 5 times, anti-tank guns - 2.6 times.

Through the efforts of Soviet tank builders, especially the workers and engineers of the Ural "Tankograd" of Chelyabinsk, the enemy's advantage in armored vehicles was overcome relatively quickly. By 1943, the preponderance of the Soviet Armed Forces in tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts began to grow. Domestic tanks and self-propelled guns significantly surpassed their foreign counterparts in their combat characteristics. The great merit in their creation belonged to N.A. Astrov, N.L. Dukhov, J. Ya. Kotin, MI. Koshkin, V.V. Krylov, N.A. Kucherenko, A.A. Morozov, L.S. Troyanov and others.

From the second half of 1942, the production of aircraft and aircraft engines steadily increased. The most massive aircraft of the Soviet Air Force was the Il-2 attack aircraft. Most Soviet aircraft were superior to those of the German Air Force. During the war, 25 aircraft models (including modifications), as well as 23 types of aircraft engines, entered serial production. The following aircraft designers contributed to the creation and improvement of new combat vehicles: A.A. Arkhangelsky, M.I. Gurevich, S.V. Ilyushin, S.A. Lavochkin, A.I. Mikoyan, V.M. Myasishchev, V.M. Petlyakov, N.N. Polikarpov, P.O. Sukhoi, A.N. Tupolev, A.S. Yakovlev, creators of aircraft engines V.Ya. Klimov, A.A. Mikulin, S.K. Tumansky, A.D. Swedes.

Education during the Great Patriotic War

A necessary condition for the successful development of the country's national economy was the continuous training of new personnel in universities and technical schools. In 1941, the number of students decreased from 811.7 thousand to 460 thousand, admission to them was halved, the number of students decreased by 3.5 times, and the duration of study was 3 - 3.5 years. However, towards the end of the war, the number of students, especially as a result of the increased enrollment of women, approached the pre-war level.

An important role in the development of pedagogy During the war, the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the RSFSR, created in 1943, headed by Academician V.P. Potemkin.

Literature during the Great Patriotic War

With the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, the patriotic theme became the main direction in Soviet literature. In June 1941, poems by N.N. Aseeva, M.V. Isakovsky, A.A. Surkov, publicistic articles by A.N. Tolstoy, A.A. Fadeeva, M.A. Sholokhov and many other writers and poets. From June 27, 1941 in Moscow, and then in other cities, "Windows TASS" - propaganda and political posters with the aim of promptly informing the public about the situation at the fronts and in the rear of the country. Poets A.A. Aduev, D. Bedny, S.I. Kirsanov, A.A. Zharov and others, graphic artists and cartoonists A.P. Bubnov, N.A. Dolgorukov, A.A. Radakov, M.M. Cheremnykh. In 1942, a production workshop "Windows TASS" was created at TASS under the direction of artists N.F. Denisovsky and P.P. Sokolov-Skala. In total, over 1200 TASS Windows were produced during the war years, which were also distributed abroad - in the USA, Sweden, India and other countries. The content of TASS Windows was varied: information about the latest events at the front; calls for vigilance; to strengthen the front and rear; satirical pamphlets on the enemy, etc.

During the war years, many writers became war correspondents in central newspapers, on the radio, in the Soviet Information Bureau and TASS: V.V. Vishnevsky, B.L. Gorbatov, B.N. Polevoy, N.S. Tikhonov, V.S. Grossman, M.A. Sholokhov, A.A. Surkov, A.P. Gaidar, S.V. Mikhalkov and others. The staff of the front editorial staffs worked V.А. Zakrutkin, Yu.P. German, A.S. Levada, I.L. Andronikov, M.S. Lisyansky, S.P. Shchipachev, N.K. Chukovsky and others.

The newspapers first published works: "The Science of Hatred" by M.A. Sholokhov, "The people are immortal" by V.S. Grossman, "Front" A.E. Korneichuk, "Vasily Turkin" by A.T. Tvardovsky, "Spring in the South" by B.L. Gorbatov and other works.

Essays and articles were a preparatory stage for the creation of stories, often combined into cycles: "Sea Soul" by L.S. Sobolev, "March - April" by V.M. Kozhevnikov, "Stories of Ivan Sudarev" by A.N. Tolstoy. The protagonist of these cycles is a simple person who is ready for a heroic deed and accomplished it as a natural impulse of the soul.

The problem of the growth and maturity of a soldier in battle was shown in the story by A.A. Beck "Volokolamskoe highway" (1943-1944). The exploits of Soviet people on the fronts and in the rear of the enemy were devoted to the novels of M.A. Sholokhov "They fought for the Motherland" and A.A. Fadeeva "Young Guard" (1945)

During the war years, the works of writers of the Union republics gained wide popularity: "Sacred Blood" by Aibek, "Shiganak" by G. Mustafin, "Tsar Pap" by S. Zoryan and others.

Poetry acquired great importance during the war years. The songs "Sacred War" by V.I. Lebedeva-Kumach, "In the forest near the front" by M.V. Isakovsky, “The Bryansk Forest was rustling severely” by A.V. Sofonov and many other poets. In the country and at the front, satirical works (fairy tales, parables, epigrams) by S.Ya. Marshak, S.V. Mikhalkov, D. Poor. Along with this, the lyric poems of K.M. Simonova, S.P. Shchipacheva, M.I. Aliger, A.A. Akhmatova. During this period, the epic poem "Kirov with us" by N.S. Tikhonov, "The Leningrad Poem" by O.F. Bergolts, "Zoya" M.I. Aliger and others. Workers of the rear were devoted to the works of AA. Perventseva "Test", AA Karavaeva "Lights" and others.

During the war years, the demand for historical literature increased sharply. Among the works on a historical and military-historical theme, the following are especially famous: "Bagration" by S.N. Gorbatov, "Port Arthur" A.N. Stepanova, "Emelyan Pugachev" V.Ya. Shishkova and others. An important contribution to the spiritual development of Soviet people was made by the playwrights V.P. Stavsky (play "War"), K.A. Fedin ("Test"), L.M. Leonov ("Invasion") and others.

To mobilize the army and the people to fight the aggressor, to expose his propaganda, to decompose the enemy, they were widely used leaflets. They were published by the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and by the political bodies of the fronts, armies and divisions.

There are two periods in the economic policy of the government of the country. First: June 22, 1941 - the end of 1942 - the restructuring of the economy on a war footing in the most difficult conditions of the defeat of the Red Army and the loss of a significant part of the economically developed European part of the territory of the Soviet Union.

Second: 1943-1945 - steadily increasing military-industrial production, achieving economic superiority over Germany and its allies, restoring the national economy in the liberated territories.

The economy of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War was characterized by a number of features, the most important of which were super-centralized management, efficiency of leadership, reliance on its own economic, scientific and technical potential, and planned development. For operational management, new management bodies were created, incl. The Evacuation Council, the Committee for the Accounting and Distribution of Labor, the Committee for Food and Clothing Supply of the Red Army, the Transport Committee, two new People's Commissariats: the tank industry for mortar weapons. Perestroika proceeded along two main lines: first, the switch to military production in virtually all industries, a sharp reduction or cessation of the production of civilian products; second, the relocation (evacuation) of productive forces to areas remote from the front.

At the same time, work on the earliest possible start-up of the evacuated factories was organized on the ground. The mass production of modern types of weapons began. In 1942, the volume of gross industrial output exceeded the level of 1941 by 1.5 times. The Evacuation Council was established on June 24, 1941 to guide the evacuation.

First of all, it was required to relocate defense enterprises to the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia and Central Asia. The importance of the Urals has increased enormously. Soon the Ural industry began to produce up to 40% of all military products. If in 1940 the national economy of the USSR employed 31.2 million workers and employees, then in 1942 - only 18.4 million. The working day was increased, regular and additional vacations were canceled, and mandatory overtime work was introduced. The use of female and adolescent labor in production has increased significantly. Due to the underdevelopment of the domestic automotive industry, supplies of American-made trucks and cars were especially valuable.

Lend-Lease was a form of US military assistance to the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition: a non-currency exchange of goods and services with final settlement after the war with installments for several years. At the second stage (1943-1945), the USSR achieved a decisive superiority over Germany in economic development, especially in the production of military products. 7,500 large enterprises were put into operation, which ensured a steady growth in industrial production. Compared to the previous period, the volume of industrial production increased by 38%.

In August 1943, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (Bolsheviks) adopted a resolution "On urgent measures to restore the economy in areas liberated from German occupation." In 1944 - early 1945, the highest rise in military production and complete superiority over Germany was achieved. The gross volume of production exceeded the pre-war level, and the military output increased threefold.

The number of collective and state farms, tractors, machines, horses has decreased by 40-60%. The number of the able-bodied population of the village decreased by 38%. From the autumn of 1941, a centralized distribution of food products (rationing system) was introduced, which made it possible to avoid mass starvation.

Even in the first months of the Great Patriotic War, many research institutes were forced to evacuate to the east. Research topics were focused on three leading areas: the development of military-technical problems, scientific assistance to industry, the mobilization of raw materials, for which intersectoral commissions and committees were created. Thanks to geological scientists, new deposits of iron ore in Kuzbass, new sources of oil in Bashkiria, and a deposit of molybdenum ores in Kazakhstan were explored. Scientists Aleksandrov, Gaev, Regel successfully solved the problem of mine protection of ships. Advances in biology, agriculture and medicine. Soviet scientists were finding new plant raw materials for industry, looking for ways to increase yields. The USSR surpassed Germany in terms of the average annual production of field artillery by more than 2 times, mortars - 5 times, anti-tank guns - 2.6 times. From the second half of 1942, the production of aircraft and aircraft engines steadily increased. From the first days of the war, the Plenum of the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Art Workers appealed to art workers to take part in the great liberation struggle. On July 3, 1941, the Presidium of the All-Russian Theater Society (WTO) decided to begin work on the creation of a defense and anti-fascist repertoire. To serve the army and navy, about 400 theater, concert and circus brigades were formed, 25 front-line theaters were created. In total, during the war years, 42 thousand artists went to the front, who gave 1350 thousand performances, including 437 thousand directly on the front line. The main themes in the repertoire of theaters and brigades were the unity and cohesion of the people in the face of the enemy, the heroism of soldiers, patriotism, the disclosure of the characters of the Soviet man, and national history.

With the beginning of the Second World War, the patriotic theme became the main theme in Soviet literature. In June 1941, the central newspapers published and sounded on the radio poems by Aseev, Isakovsky, Surkov, publicistic articles by Tolstoy, Fadeev, Sholokhov. During the war, many writers became war correspondents in central newspapers, on the radio, in the Soviet Information Bureau and TASS. The songs "The Holy War" by Lebedev-Kumach, "In the front-line forest" by Isakovsky, "The Bryansk forest rustled harshly" by Sofronov were especially popular. Lyric poems by Simonov, Shchipachov, Aliger, Akhmatova had great success. The demand for historical literature has sharply increased. The main theme in the cinema was the theme of the heroic struggle of the Soviet people against the aggressor. The chronicle took the leading place in the coverage of this topic. Front-line film groups worked on the fronts, the operational management of which was carried out by the political directorates of the fronts and fleets. By the end of 1941, there were 129 cameramen in the front-line film groups. Feature films, created during the war, told about the underground communists, partisans, life in the occupied territory.

The hard times of war dealt a blow to the education system. Tens of thousands of school buildings were destroyed, and military hospitals were often housed in the survivors. Due to the lack of paper, schoolchildren sometimes wrote in the margins of old newspapers. School textbooks were replaced by the teacher's story. But the education of children did not stop. It was carried out even in besieged Moscow, Sevastopol, Odessa, in besieged Leningrad, in partisan detachments of Ukraine and Belarus. In the regions of the country occupied by the Germans, the education of children has almost completely stopped.

Soviet scientists made a great contribution to the victory. All the main directions of scientific research were focused on the defeat of the enemy.

The main scientific centers of the country moved to the East - to Kazan, to the Urals, to Central Asia. Leading research institutes and institutions of the Academy of Sciences were evacuated here. They not only continued the work they had begun, but also helped in the training of local scientific personnel. More than 2 thousand workers of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR fought as part of the active army.

Despite the difficulties of wartime, the state paid great attention to the development of domestic science. The number of scientific institutions of the country during the war years was replenished with new institutes, scientific centers. The West Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences was created in Novosibirsk, the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences and the Academy of Medical Sciences in Uzbekistan, Azeibardzhan, Armenia.

Theoretical developments in the field of aerodynamics S.A. Chaplygin, M.V. Keldysh, S.A. Khristianovich was allowed to develop and begin production of new models of combat aircraft. The research team led by Academician A.F. Ioffe created the first Soviet radars. In 1943, work began on the creation of nuclear weapons in the USSR.

Cultural workers - to the front. From the first days of the war, figures of Russian culture made a significant contribution to the achievement of victory. More than a thousand writers and poets went to the front, including M.A. Sholokhov, A.A. Fadeev, K.M. Simonov, A.T. Tvardovsky and many others. Every fourth of them did not return from the war. In the fall of 1941, the children's writer A.P. Gaidar, one of the authors of the satirical novels "The Twelve Chairs" and "The Golden Calf" E. Petrov was killed while returning from besieged Sevastopol. In the Berlin prison of Spandau, the Tatar poet M. Jashil was tortured by the Germans, who was seriously wounded in captivity. Ten writers were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The literature of the war period enjoyed great success and recognition, both at the front and behind enemy lines. The courage of the heroes of the siege of Leningrad was glorified in the "Leningrad poem" by O. Berggolts and in the "Pulkovo meridian" by V. Inber.

The feat of the defenders of Stalingrad was immortalized in "Days and Nights" by K.M. Simonov and "The direction of the main blow" by V.S. Grossman. The fortitude and courage of the defenders of the capital were glorified in the story of A. Bek "Volokalamsk highway". The historical literature of the wartime remained popular, reflecting the heroic pages of Russian history ("Bagration" by S. Golubov, "Port Arthur" by A. Stepanov, etc.). The image of Vasily Terkin, created in the poem of the same name by A.T. Tvardovsky.

Front-line theaters were created to travel to the front line. The first such theater was the theater "Iskra", created from the actors of the Theater. Leningrad Komsomol. More than 40 thousand art workers visited the front during the war years. Among them were outstanding artists I. Moskvin, M. Zharov, I. Ilyinsky, A. Tarasova, A. Yablochkina, M. Tsarev, N. Cherkasov, E. Gogoleva and others.

Despite the evacuation of the leading film studios to Central Asia, the domestic cinema did not stop its activities. During the war, filmmakers released about 500 newsreels and 34 feature films. Particularly popular were those that were dedicated to the fight against the enemy ("Two fighters" L. Lukov, "Secretary of the district committee" I. Pyriev, "A guy from our city" A. Stolper, "Invasion" A. Rome, etc.) ...

The most favorite musical genre during the war years was the lyric song. "Evening on the roadstead" by V. Solovyov-Sedoy, "Dark Night" by N. Bogoslovsky, "In the forest near the front" by M. Blanter, the whole country sang.

Symphonic music was also popular. In besieged Leningrad, D. Shostakovich wrote the Seventh (Leningrad) Symphony. Her first live broadcast from a besieged city was hailed as a manifestation of civic courage around the world. In 1943 a new Anthem of the USSR was created (music by A.V. Aleksandrov, words by S.V. Mikhalkov and G. El-Registan).

The front-line performances of pop artists had a special audience success. The most famous performers of lyric songs were K. Shulzhenko, L. Ruslanova, R. Beibutov, M. Bernes.

If before the war Soviet culture helped people “build and live”, now it helped them survive and win.

A radical turning point in the course of the war: the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk. On July 28, 1942, when the enemy was striving for Stalingrad and the Caucasus, Stalin issued Order No. 227: "Not a step back!" It spoke of the heavy losses that the country is suffering, that the people are losing faith in the Red Army. Our main flaw, the order emphasized, was the lack of discipline in the troops. Order No. 227 introduced harsh penalties for "retreat" sentiments. The commanders and commissars who allowed this were declared traitors to the Motherland, were sent to penal battalions, and soldiers - to penal companies. In the rear of the unstable divisions, well-armed barrage detachments (200 people each) were located, which were supposed to shoot all retreating without orders. And yet, the main idea of ​​the order and, it is true, about the critical situation played a mobilizing role.

The battle for Stalingrad lasted from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943. The 6th Army under the command of General F. Paulus led the enemy offensive. On July 12, the Stalingrad Front was created, commanded by General V.N. Gordov. On the outskirts of Stalingrad, 4 defensive lines with a length of 3,800 km were built.

On August 23, the Germans broke through to the Volga, Stalingrad was declared martial law. Massive assaults of Leningrad began, up to 12 attacks were fought off per day. On October 15, the Germans captured the area of ​​the Tractor Plant. Mamayev Kurgan passed from hand to hand several times. In early November, the Nazis for the third time managed to break through to the Volga in the area of ​​the Barricades plant. But this was the last success of the Germans. Their progress was stopped. The city survived thanks to the will and heroism of Soviet soldiers.

On November 19, 1942, the second stage of the war began, which was called the "radical turning point". The General Staff, led by A.M. Vasilevsky, and Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief G.K. Zhukov developed an offensive operation "Uranus". There were two stages in the operation: the first was supposed to strike in decisive directions and encircle the German troops; on the second - to destroy the fascist troops taken in the ring, if they do not accept the ultimatum to surrender. By mid-November 1942, the superiority of the Soviet troops had been achieved in guns, aircraft, and even earlier in tanks.

On the morning of November 19, after artillery barrage, the troops of the Southwestern and Don fronts went on the offensive and advanced 35 km. On November 20, the Stalingrad Front went over to the offensive. And on November 23, the troops of the South-West (General N.F. Vatutin) and Stalingrad (General A.I. Eremenko) fronts united in the Kolach River area. The 6th Army of General F. Paulus and the 4th Panzer Army of General G. Hoth were surrounded - a total of 22 divisions, 330,000 men. But 80 thousand people managed to escape from the encirclement.

On December 12, 1942, Army Group Don, under the command of General E. Manstein, launched an offensive in order to break through the encircled German troops to surrender, but Paulus refused. Hitler awarded him the rank of field marshal. On January 10, 1943, the troops of the Don Front under the command of K.K. Rokossovsky began to liquidate the Nazi group. The remnants of it surrendered on February 2. The Battle of Stalingrad ended with the defeat of the enemy, who lost 1.5 million people, 2,000 tanks, 3,000 aircraft. 100 thousand soldiers, 2500 officers, 23 generals, Field Marshal F. Paulus were taken prisoner.

The victory at Stalingrad was a radical turning point in the course of the war. After Stalingrad, the Red Army increased its offensive power up to Berlin, the anti-Hitler coalition and the Resistance movement in the occupied countries of Europe strengthened.

After the Battle of Stalingrad, the offensive of the Transcaucasian Front began, and by the spring of 1943 a significant part of the North Caucasus had been liberated. In January 1943, the blockade of Leningrad was partially broken, trains with food and fuel entered the city (but the blockade was completely lifted only at the beginning of 1944).

The fascist command hoped in the summer of 1943 to take revenge for the defeat at Stalingrad. Hitler signed a directive to carry out the offensive operation "Citadel" on the Kursk salient. With powerful tank strikes, the Nazis wanted to break through the defenses of the Soviet troops, and then encircle the army of the Central and Voronezh fronts.

The Soviet command learned that the Nazis would launch an offensive at dawn on 5 July. Therefore, it was decided to inflict an assertive artillery strike on the enemy. This delayed the German advance by 3 hours. On July 12, 1943, the largest tank battle in the history of the war took place in the vicinity of the village of Prokhorovka, with 1200 tanks on both sides. In one day of the battle, the Germans lost 400 tanks, but could not break through our defenses. The offensive of the fascist troops failed, the defensive part of the Battle of Kursk ended.

On July 12, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive along a front of 2 thousand km, the cities of Orel, Belgorod, Kharkov were liberated. During the Battle of Kursk, 30 divisions were defeated, including 7 tank divisions. A radical turning point in the war ended, conditions were created for the liberation of Ukraine and the withdrawal of the Red Army to the Dnieper.

Final operations of the Great Patriotic War: Berlin and Prague. The surrender of Germany. 8.5 million Soviet soldiers took part in the liberation of the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe. At the beginning of 1944, the Soviet government announced that the main task of the Red Army was to crush Hitlerite Germany, punish war criminals, and free the peoples of Europe from fascism. Unfortunately, in the 90s. there were many publications in which, contrary to the historical truth, it was asserted. That the USSR occupied the countries of Eastern Europe. But the truth is that the Red Army carried out a liberation mission in relation to most countries. The territories of 10 European countries were liberated in whole or in part, more than 1 million Soviet soldiers and officers died abroad, and the total losses, together with the wounded, amounted to over 3 million people. By the beginning of April 1945, almost all the occupied countries of Europe had been liberated. Germany has lost all its allies. But there was still Berlin ahead - the den of fascism.

The Berlin operation began on April 16, 1945. At 5 o'clock in the morning, Soviet troops began artillery preparation. After a powerful 30-minute artillery bombardment, 140 searchlights flashed on a rocket signal, illuminating and blinding the enemy. Infantry and tanks went ahead. On April 18, the Seelow Heights were taken, on April 20, long-range artillery opened fire on Berlin. On April 24, Berlin was completely surrounded. On April 25, the advance units of the 1st Ukrainian Front met with American troops on the Elbe River in the Torgau region. On April 26, the fighting was already in Berlin, and on April 30, Sergeants Yegorov and Kantaria hoisted the Victory Banner over the Reichstag.

On May 2, 1945, the Berlin garrison surrendered. But there were still large German groups in Austria and Czechoslovakia. Tank units of the 1st Ukrainian Front, responding to calls for help from the rebellious Prague, liberated Prague on May 9-11. At midnight on May 8, 1945, the act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany was signed. The Day of the Great Victory has come!

War test of Soviet people and society. The cost and sources of the victory of the Soviet Army in the Great Patriotic War. The meaning, results and lessons of the victory over fascism and militaristic Japan.