The bloodiest battles in history. The Battle of Rzhev is the bloodiest battle in the history of mankind.
Throughout the history of mankind, various political entities have resolved emerging disputes with the help of force. The development of military affairs contributed to the fact that in each subsequent era more people died on the battlefields than in the previous one. The 19th and 20th centuries saw the bloodiest battles in history. Each of them claimed tens of thousands of lives.
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Battle of Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad is considered the bloodiest and longest in the history of mankind. It lasted for about two hundred days. The losses of the parties, including those killed and wounded, according to various estimates, amounted to from 1.5 to 3 million people. Battle of Stalingrad became one of the decisive episodes of World War II, after which the Red Army launched a counteroffensive on all fronts.
Although the forces of the USSR and the allies managed to finally defeat Nazism only two years after the victory at Stalingrad, it was the Battle of Stalingrad that became the turning point of World War II. held in major city the battle was also a major humanitarian disaster: before the start of the defense of Stalingrad, the civilian population was not completely evacuated. A negligibly small part of the city's civilians survived the 200-day battle.
"Verdun meat grinder"
The Battle of Verdun is the most famous episode of the First World War. She was passing February to December 1916 between French and German troops. Each side unsuccessfully tried to break through the enemy's defenses and launch a decisive offensive. During the nine months of the battle, the front line remained virtually unchanged. Neither side achieved a strategic advantage. It was not by chance that contemporaries called the battle of Verdun a "meat grinder". 305,000 soldiers and officers from both sides lost their lives in a useless confrontation. The total losses of the parties, including those killed and wounded, amounted to more than a million people.
From the point of view of military affairs, the Battle of Verdun was an important milestone: for the first time in history, ground attack aircraft were systematically used in it, and cars were used to quickly regroup troops.
Battle of the Somme
Simultaneously with the Battle of Verdun, the Anglo-French coalition launched an operation on another sector of the Western Front. English paratroopers landed on the coast of the French region of Pas de Calais, who, together with the French army, were to strike at German positions and force the enemy to flee. Only on the first day of the campaign, July 1, 1916 The English landing lost 60,000 men. The operation, planned as lightning, dragged on for five months. The number of divisions participating in the battle increased from 33 to 149. In the battle of the Somme, large tank units were used for the first time. During the battle, the parties lost about 600 thousand people killed, and the total combat losses amounted to more than a million people.
Nanjing Massacre
AT December 1937 Japanese occupying forces offensive operation to capture Nanjing, then the capital of the Republic of China. By December 7, the Chinese government had evacuated the capital's institutions from the city and completed the defense organization. The defense of the former capital lasted less than two weeks. On December 13, Japanese troops took control of Nanjing and launched an operation against the civilian population. Over the next two weeks, Japanese soldiers took revenge on Chinese civilians for the resistance that the Chinese army had previously offered. By the end of December, between 200,000 and 500,000 civilians, including women and children, had been killed. The losses of the Japanese military near Nanjing amounted to no more than 8 thousand people. In China and Taiwan, the victims of the Nanjing Massacre are commemorated at annual state mourning events.
Read about how the Second World War began 70 years ago in the material "Union of wrong forces". In the rating of the magazine - 10 most bloody battles.
1. Battle of Stalingrad
Meaning: The Battle of Stalingrad was the bloodiest battle in world history. Near this city on the Volga, seven Soviet armies (plus the 8th Air Army and the Volga Flotilla) were put up against the German Army Group "B" and their allies. After the battle, Stalin said: "Stalingrad was the decline of the German fascist army." After this massacre, the Germans could never recover.
Irretrievable losses: USSR - 1 million 130 thousand people; Germany and allies - 1.5 million people.
2. Battle for Moscow
Meaning: the commander of the German 2nd Panzer Army, Guderian, assessed the consequences of the defeat near Moscow in this way: “All the sacrifices and efforts were in vain, we suffered a serious defeat, which, due to the stubbornness of the high command, led to fatal consequences in the coming weeks. There was a crisis in the German offensive , the strength and morale of the German army are broken."
Irretrievable losses: USSR - 926.2 thousand people; Germany - 581.9 thousand people
3. Battle for Kyiv
Significance: the defeat near Kyiv was a heavy blow for the Red Army, it opened the way for the Wehrmacht to Eastern Ukraine, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov and the Donbass. The surrender of Kyiv led to the actual collapse of the Southwestern Front, Soviet soldiers began to throw down their weapons en masse and surrender.
Irretrievable losses: USSR - 627.8 thousand people. (according to German data, the number of prisoners was 665 thousand people); Germany - unknown.
4. Battle for the Dnieper
Significance: up to 4 million people took part in the battle for the liberation of Kyiv on both sides, and the battle front stretched for 1400 km. Front-line writer Viktor Astafiev recalled: "Twenty-five thousand soldiers enter the water, and three thousand, maximum five, come out on the other side. And after five or six days, all the dead surface. Can you imagine?"
Irretrievable losses: USSR - 417 thousand people; Germany - 400 thousand killed (according to other sources, about 1 million people).
5. Battle of Kursk
Meaning: The largest battle in the history of World War II. The troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts defeated the two largest army groupings of the Wehrmacht: Army Group Center and Army Group South.
Irretrievable losses: USSR - 254 thousand people; Germany - 500 thousand people (according to German data, 103.6 thousand people).
6. Operation "Bagration"
Meaning: one of the largest military operations in the history of mankind, during which the forces of the 1st Baltic, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian fronts defeated the German Army Group Center and liberated Belarus. To demonstrate the significance of success, after the battle, more than 50,000 German prisoners captured near Minsk were paraded through the streets of Moscow.
Irretrievable losses: USSR - 178.5 thousand people; Germany - 255.4 thousand people
7. Vistula-Oder operation
Meaning: the strategic offensive of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts, during which the territory of Poland was liberated west of the Vistula. This battle went down in the history of mankind as the most rapid offensive - for 20 days, Soviet troops advanced at a distance of 20 to 30 km per day.
Irretrievable losses: USSR - 43.2 thousand people; Germany - 480 thousand people
8. Battle for Berlin
Meaning: The last battle of Soviet troops in Europe. For the sake of storming the capital of the Third Reich, the forces of the 1st Ukrainian, 1st and 2nd Belorussian fronts were combined, divisions of the Polish Army and sailors of the Baltic Fleet took part in the battles.
Irretrievable losses: the USSR with its allies - 81 thousand people; Germany - about 400 thousand people.
9. Battle of Monte Casino
Meaning: The bloodiest battle involving the Western Allies, during which the Americans and the British broke through the German defensive line "Gustav Line" and took Rome.
Irretrievable losses: the United States and allies - more than 100 thousand people; Germany - about 20 thousand people.
10. Battle for Iwo Jima
Significance: The first military operation of US forces against Japan on land, which became the bloodiest battle in the Pacific theater of operations. It was after the assault on this small island 1250 km from Tokyo that the US command decided to carry out a demonstrative atomic bombing before landing on the Japanese islands.
Irretrievable losses: Japan - 22.3 thousand people; USA - 6.8 thousand people.
The material was prepared by Victor Becker, Vladimir Tikhomirov
Battle of Gettysburg
For common man any collision that leads to the death of loved ones is a terrible tragedy. Historians think big and among all the bloody battles in the history of mankind, 5 of the largest are singled out.
The Battle of Gettysburg, which took place in 1863, is undoubtedly a terrible battle. The Confederate forces and the Union army met as opponents. The collision resulted in the death of 46,000 people. Losses on both sides were almost equal. The outcome of the battle consolidated the advantages of the Union. However, the price paid for success in civil war in the United States, was incredibly expensive. The battle continued for 3 days, until the complete victory of the army led by General Li. This battle is ranked 5th in the list of the most bloody in history.
Battle of Cannae
In 4th place is the Battle of Cannae, which took place in 216 BC. Rome opposed Carthage. The number of victims is impressive. About 10,000 Carthaginians and approximately 50,000 citizens of the Roman Empire perished. Hannibal, the Carthaginian commander, made incredible efforts, leading a huge army through the Alps. Subsequently, the feat of the ancient commander was repeated by the Russian commander Suvorov. Before the decisive battle, Hannibal defeated the armies of Rome on Lake Trasimene and Trebia, deliberately involving the Roman troops in a planned trap.
Hoping to break through the middle of the Carthaginian army, Rome concentrated heavy infantry in the central part of the troops. In contrast, Hannibal concentrated the elite troops on the flanks. Having waited for a breakthrough of their ranks in the center, the Carthaginian warriors closed their flanks. As a result, the Roman soldiers were forced to keep moving, pushing the front ranks towards certain death. The cavalry of Carthage closed the gap in the central part. Thus, the Roman legionnaires found themselves in a tight deadly loop.
3rd place belongs to the battle that took place on July 1, 1916, during the 1st World War. The battle on the 1st day on the Somme resulted in the death of 68,000 people, of which Britain lost 60,000. This is just the beginning of a battle that will continue for several months. In total, about 1,000,000 people died as a result of the battle. The British planned to wipe out the German defenses with artillery. It was believed that after a massive attack, the British and French forces would easily occupy the area. But, contrary to the expectations of the allies, the shelling did not lead to global destruction.
The British were forced to leave the trenches. Here they were met by heavy fire from the German side. The situation was also complicated by Britain's own artillery, pouring volleys over its own infantry. Throughout the day, Britain managed to occupy several minor targets.
The Battle of Leipzig, where Napoleon's troops opposed Russia, Austria and Prussia, took place in 1813. French losses amounted to 30,000, the allies lost 54,000. This was the largest battle and the largest defeat of the great French emperor. At the beginning of the battle, the French felt great and held the advantage for 9 hours. But, after this time, the numerical advantage of the allies began to affect. Realizing that the battle was lost, Bonaparte decided to withdraw the remaining troops across the bridge, which they were supposed to blow up after the withdrawal French army. But the explosion sounded too early. A huge number of soldiers died, thrown into the water.
Stalingradskaya
The most terrible battle in history is Stalingrad. Nazi Germany lost 841,000 soldiers in the battle. The losses of the USSR amounted to 1,130,000 people. The months-long battle for the city began with a German air raid, after which Stalingrad was largely destroyed. The Germans entered the city, but they had to participate in fierce street battles, for almost every house. Germany managed to capture almost 99% of the city, but it was impossible to break the resistance of the Soviet side completely. The approaching frosts and the attack of the Red Army, undertaken in November 1942, turned the tide of the battle. Hitler did not allow the troops to withdraw, and as a result, in February 1943, they were defeated.
It does not matter, resulting in bloody battles. The reason may be a clash of religious beliefs, territorial claims, political short-sightedness. God forbid that mistakes are not repeated.
Invaders came from both the West and the East. They spoke to different languages, they had different weapons. But their goals were the same - to ruin and plunder the country, to kill or take away its inhabitants into captivity and slavery.
Today, in connection with this holiday, we decided to recall the most significant battles in the history of our Fatherland. If we forgot something, you can write in the comments.
1. The defeat of the Khazar Khaganate (965)
Khazar Khaganate long time was the main rival of the Russian state. The unification of Slavic tribes around Rus', many of which had previously been dependent on Khazaria, could not but increase tension in relations between the two powers.
In 965, Prince Svyatoslav subjugated the Khazar Khaganate to his power, and then organized a campaign against a strong tribal union Vyatichi, who paid tribute to the Khazars. Svyatoslav Igorevich defeated the army of the kagan in battle and raided his entire state, from the Volga to the North Caucasus. Important Khazar cities were attached to Rus' - the Sarkel (Belaya Vezha) fortress on the Don, which controlled the route from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea (now at the bottom of the Tsimlyansk reservoir), and the port of Tmutarakan on the Taman Peninsula. The Black Sea Khazars fell into the sphere of Russian influence. The remains of the Kaganate on the Volga were destroyed in the XI century by the Polovtsy.
2. Neva Battle (1240)
The prince of Novgorod was only 19 years old when, in the summer of 1240, Swedish ships, probably led by Birger Magnusson, entered the mouth of the Neva. Knowing that Novgorod was deprived of the support of the southern principalities, the Swedes, instructed from Rome, hoped, at a minimum, to seize all the lands north of the Neva, simultaneously converting both pagans and Orthodox Karelians to Catholicism.
Young prince of novgorod led a lightning attack of his squad and defeated the camp of the Swedes before they had time to strengthen it. Going on a campaign, Alexander was in such a hurry that he did not gather all the Novgorodians who wished to join, believing that speed would be of decisive importance, and he turned out to be right. In the battle, Alexander fought in the forefront.
A decisive victory over superior forces brought Prince Alexander great fame and the honorary title - Nevsky.
However, the Novgorod boyars feared the growing influence of the prince, and tried to remove him from the management of the city. Soon Alexander left Novgorod, but a year later the threat of a new war forced the Novgorodians to turn to him again.
3. Battle on the Ice (1242)
In 1242, German knights from the Livonian Order captured Pskov and approached Novgorod. The Novgorodians, who had quarreled with Prince Alexander a year before, turned to him for help and again transferred power to him. The prince gathered an army, expelled the enemies from the Novgorod and Pskov lands and went to Lake Peipus.
On the ice of the lake in 1242, in a battle known as the Battle of the Ice, Alexander Yaroslavich destroyed an army of German knights. Russian arrows, despite the onslaught of the Germans, breaking through the regiments in the center, courageously resisted the attackers. This courage helped the Russians to surround the knights from the flanks and win. Pursuing the survivors for seven miles, Alexander showed the firmness of the Russian army. The victory in the battle led to the signing of a peace agreement between Novgorod and the Livonian Order.
4. Battle of Kulikovo (1380)
The Battle of Kulikovo, which took place on September 8, 1380, was a turning point that showed the strength of the united Russian army and the ability of Rus' to resist the Horde.
The conflict between Mamai and Dmitry Donskoy escalated more and more. The Moscow principality strengthened, Rus' won many victories over the troops of the Horde. Donskoy did not listen to Mamai when he gave Prince Mikhail of Tverskoy a label for Vladimir, and then stopped paying tribute to the Horde. All this could not help but lead Mamai to the idea of the need for a quick victory over the enemy that was gaining strength.
In 1378 he sent an army against Dmitry, but it was defeated on the Vozha River. Soon Mamai lost influence on the Volga lands due to the invasion of Tokhtamysh. In 1380, the Horde commander decided to attack the Donskoy army in order to finally defeat his forces.
On September 8, 1380, when the armies clashed, it became clear that there would be a lot of losses on both sides. The legendary exploits of Alexander Peresvet, Mikhail Brenk and Dmitry Donskoy were described in The Tale of the Battle of Mamaev. The turning point for the battle was the moment when Bobrok ordered to delay the ambush regiment, and then cut off the retreat of the Tatars, who had broken through to the river, with his forces. The Horde cavalry was driven into the river and destroyed, meanwhile the rest of the forces mixed the other enemy troops, and the Horde began to retreat randomly. Mamai fled, realizing that he no longer had the strength to continue the fight. According to various estimates, on September 8, 1380, from 40 to 70 thousand Russians and from 90 to 150 thousand Horde troops met in the decisive battle. The victory of Dmitry Donskoy significantly weakened the Golden Horde, which predetermined its further disintegration.
5. Standing on the Ugra (1480)
This event marks the end of the Horde's influence on the politics of the Russian princes.
In 1480, after Ivan III broke the khan's label, Khan Akhmat, having entered into an alliance with Lithuanian prince Casimir, moved to Rus'. In an effort to connect with the Lithuanian army, on October 8 he approached the Ugra River, a tributary of the Oka. Here he was met by the Russian army.
Akhmat's attempt to force the Ugra was repulsed in a four-day battle. Then the Khan began to expect the Lithuanians. Ivan III, in order to gain time, began negotiations with him. At this time, the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray, an ally of Moscow, attacked the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which did not allow Casimir to help Akhmat. On October 20, the regiments of his brothers, Boris and Andrei Bolshoi, came to reinforce Ivan III. Upon learning of this, Akhmat turned his army back to the steppe on November 11. Soon Akhmat was killed in the Horde. So Rus' finally broke the Horde yoke and gained independence.
6. Battle of Molodi (1572)
On July 29, 1572, the Battle of Molodi began - a battle whose outcome was decided by the course of Russian history.
The situation before the battle was very unfavorable. The main forces of the Russian army got stuck in a fierce struggle in the west with Sweden and the Commonwealth. Only a small zemstvo army and guardsmen under the command of Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Vorotynsky and governor Dmitry Ivanovich Khvorostinin were able to assemble against the Tatars. They were joined by a 7,000-strong detachment of German mercenaries and Don Cossacks. The total number of Russian troops amounted to 20,034 people.
To fight the Tatar cavalry, Prince Vorotynsky decided to use the "walk-city" - a mobile fortress, behind the walls of which archers and gunners hid. Russian troops not only stopped the six times superior enemy, but also put him to flight. The Crimean-Turkish army of Devlet Giray was almost completely destroyed.
Only 20 thousand horsemen returned to the Crimea, and none of the Janissaries escaped. Big losses the Russian army also suffered, including the oprichnina army. In the autumn of 1572, the oprichnina regime was abolished. The heroic victory of the Russian army in the Battle of Molodin - the last major battle between Rus' and the Steppe - was of great geopolitical significance. Moscow was saved from complete annihilation, and the Russian state from defeat and loss of independence. Russia retained control over the entire course of the Volga - the most important trade and transport artery. The Nogai horde, convinced of the weakness of the Crimean Khan, broke away from him.
7. Moscow battle (1612)
The Moscow battle was the decisive episode of the Time of Troubles. The occupation of Moscow was removed by the forces of the Second Militia, led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. Completely blocked in the Kremlin and Kitai-Gorod, the garrison, having received no help from King Sigismund III, began to experience an acute shortage of provisions, it even came to cannibalism. On October 26, the remnants of the occupation detachment surrendered to the mercy of the winner.
Moscow was liberated. “The hope of taking possession of the whole Muscovite state was irrevocably destroyed,” wrote the Polish chronicler.
8. Battle of Poltava (1709)
On June 27, 1709, a general battle took place near Poltava Northern war with the participation of 37,000 Swedish and 60,000 Russian armies. Little Russian Cossacks participated in the battle on both sides, but most fought for the Russians. The Swedish army was almost completely defeated. Charles XII and Mazepa fled to Turkish possessions in Moldavia.
The military forces of Sweden were undermined, and its army was forever out of the best in the world. After the Battle of Poltava, the superiority of Russia became obvious. Denmark and Poland resumed participation in the Northern Alliance. An end was soon put to Swedish dominance in the Baltic.
9. Chesme battle (1770)
The decisive naval battle in the Chesme Bay took place at the height of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774.
Despite the fact that the balance of forces in the battle was 30/73 (not in favor of the Russian fleet), the competent command of Alexei Orlov and the valor of our sailors allowed the Russians to take strategic superiority in the battle.
The flagship of the Turks "Burj-u-Zafer" was set on fire, and after it many more ships of the Turkish fleet took up fire.
Chesmen became a triumph for the Russian fleet, secured the blockade of the Dardanelles and seriously disrupted Turkish communications in the Aegean Sea.
10. Battle of Kozludzhi (1774)
During Russian-Turkish war 1768-1774 Russia won another major victory. The Russian army under the command of Alexander Suvorov and Mikhail Kamensky near the city of Kozludzhi (now Suvorovo in Bulgaria), with an unequal balance of forces (24 thousand against 40 thousand), was able to win. Alexander Suvorov managed to drive the Turks off the hill and put them to flight without even resorting to a bayonet attack. This victory largely predetermined the outcome of the Russian-Turkish war and forced the Ottoman Empire to sign a peace treaty.
11. Capture of Ishmael (1790)
On December 22, 1790, Russian troops under the command of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov stormed the hitherto impregnable Turkish fortress of Izmail.
Shortly before the war, with the help of French and German engineers, Izmail was turned into a fairly powerful fortress. Defended by a large garrison, he withstood two sieges undertaken by Russian troops without much difficulty.
Suvorov took command only 8 days before the final assault. He devoted all the remaining time to the training of soldiers. The troops trained to overcome obstacles and ramparts specially created near the Russian camp, practiced hand-to-hand combat techniques on stuffed animals.
A day before the assault, a powerful artillery shelling of the city from all guns began. He was shelling both from land and from the sea.
At 3 am, long before dawn, a flare was launched. It was a sign of preparation for the assault. Russian troops left the location and lined up in three detachments of three columns.
At half past six the soldiers went on the attack. The fortress was attacked from all sides at once. By four o'clock the resistance was finally crushed in all parts of the city - the impregnable fortress fell.
The Russians lost over 2,000 soldiers killed and about 3,000 wounded in the battle. Significant losses. But they could not be compared with the losses of the Turks - they only lost about 26,000 people killed. The news of the capture of Ishmael spread like lightning throughout Europe.
The Turks realized the complete futility of further resistance and signed the Iasi peace treaty the following year. They abandoned their claims to the Crimea and the protectorate over Georgia, ceded part of the Black Sea territories to Russia. The border between the Russian and Ottoman empires moved to the Dniester. True, Ishmael had to be returned back to the Turks.
In honor of the capture of Izmail, Derzhavin and Kozlovsky wrote the song "Thunder of victory, resound!". Until 1816, it remained the unofficial anthem of the Empire.
12. Battle of Cape Tendra (1790)
The commander of the Turkish squadron, Hassan Pasha, managed to convince the Sultan of an imminent defeat. navy Russia, and at the end of August 1790 advanced the main forces to Cape Tendra (not far from modern Odessa). However, for the anchored Turkish fleet, the rapid approach of the Russian squadron under the command of Fyodor Ushakov was an unpleasant surprise. Despite the superiority in the number of ships (45 versus 37), the Turkish fleet tried to flee. However, by that time, Russian ships had already attacked the front line of the Turks. Ushakov managed to withdraw all the flagships of the Turkish fleet from the battle and thereby demoralize the rest of the enemy squadron. The Russian fleet did not lose a single ship.
13. Battle of Borodino (1812)
On August 26, 1812, in the battle near the village of Borodino, 125 kilometers west of Moscow, significant forces of the French and Russian armies converged. Regular troops under the command of Napoleon numbered about 137 thousand people, the army of Mikhail Kutuzov with the Cossacks and militia who joined it reached 120 thousand. Rough terrain made it possible to quietly move reserves, and install artillery batteries on the hills.
On August 24, Napoleon approached the Shevardinsky redoubt, which stood near the village of the same name, three versts in front of the Borodino field.
The battle of Borodino began a day after the battle at the Shevardinsky redoubt and became the largest battle in the war of 1812. The losses on both sides were colossal: the French lost 28 thousand people, the Russians - 46.5 thousand.
Although Kutuzov after the battle gave the order to retreat to Moscow, in a report to Alexander I, he called the Russian army the winner in the battle. Many Russian historians think so too.
French scientists see the battle at Borodino differently. In their opinion, "in the battle near the Moscow River" Napoleonic troops won. Napoleon himself, comprehending the results of the battle, said: "The French in it showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians acquired the right to be invincible."
14. Battle of Elisavetpol (1826)
One of the key episodes of the Russian-Persian war of 1826-1828 was the battle near Elisavetpol (now the Azerbaijani city of Ganja). The victory then gained by the Russian troops under the command of Ivan Paskevich over the Persian army of Abbas Mirza became a model of military leadership. Paskevich managed to use the confusion of the Persians who fell into the ravine to launch a counterattack. Despite the superior forces of the enemy (35 thousand against 10 thousand), the Russian regiments began to push the army of Abbas Mirza along the entire front of the attack. The losses of the Russian side amounted to 46 killed, the Persians missed 2000 people.
15. Capture of Erivan (1827)
The fall of the fortified city of Erivan was the culmination of numerous attempts by Russia to establish control over the Transcaucasus. Built in the middle of the 16th century, the fortress was considered impregnable and more than once became a stumbling block for the Russian army. Ivan Paskevich managed to competently besiege the city from three sides, placing cannons around the entire perimeter. “The Russian artillery acted beautifully,” recalled the Armenians who remained in the fortress. Paskevich knew exactly where the Persian positions were located. On the eighth day of the siege, Russian soldiers broke into the city and dealt with the garrison of the fortress with bayonets.
16. Battle of Sarykamysh (1914)
By December 1914, during the First World War, Russia occupied the front from the Black Sea to Lake Van with a length of 350 km, while a significant part of the Caucasian army was pushed forward - deep into Turkish territory. Turkey had a tempting plan to outflank the Russian forces, thereby cutting the Sarykamysh-Kars railway.
The persistence and initiative of the Russians defending Sarakamysh played decisive role in an operation whose success literally hung in the balance. Unable to take Sarykamysh on the move, two Turkish corps fell into the arms of an icy cold, which became fatal for them.
Turkish troops in just one day on December 14 lost 10 thousand people frostbitten.
The last attempt of the Turks to take Sarykamysh on December 17 was repulsed by Russian counterattacks and ended in failure. At this, the offensive impulse of the Turkish troops, suffering from frost and poor supplies, was exhausted.
Has come crucial moment. On the same day, the Russians launched a counteroffensive and drove the Turks back from Sarykamysh. The Turkish commander Enver Pasha decided to strengthen the frontal onslaught and postponed main blow to Karaurgan, which was defended by parts of the Sarykamysh detachment of General Berkhman. But here, too, the fierce attacks of the 11th Turkish Corps, advancing on Sarykamysh from the front, were repelled.
On December 19, the Russian troops advancing near Sarykamysh completely surrounded the Turkish 9th Corps, frozen by snow storms. Its remnants after stubborn three-day fighting capitulated. Parts of the 10th Corps managed to retreat, but were defeated near Ardagan.
On December 25, General N. N. Yudenich became commander of the Caucasian Army, who gave the order to launch a counteroffensive near Karaurgan. Having thrown back the remnants of the 3rd Army by 30-40 km by January 5, 1915, the Russians stopped the pursuit, which was carried out in a 20-degree cold. And there was almost no one to follow.
Enver Pasha's troops lost 78 thousand people killed, frozen, wounded and captured (over 80% of the personnel). Russian losses amounted to 26 thousand people (killed, wounded, frostbite).
The victory near Sarykamysh stopped the Turkish aggression in Transcaucasia and strengthened the positions of the Caucasian army.
17. Brusilovsky breakthrough (1916)
One of the most important operations on the Eastern Front in 1916 was the offensive on the Southwestern Front, designed not only to turn the tide of hostilities on the Eastern Front, but also to cover the Allied offensive on the Somme. The result was the Brusilovsky breakthrough, which significantly undermined the military power of the Austro-Hungarian army and pushed Romania to enter the war on the side of the Entente.
The offensive operation of the Southwestern Front under the command of General Alexei Brusilov, carried out from May to September 1916, was, according to military historian Anton Kersnovsky, "a victory world war we haven't won yet." The number of forces that were involved on both sides is also impressive - 1,732,000 Russian soldiers and 1,061,000 soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian and German armies.
18. Khalkhin-Gol operation
Since the beginning of 1939, in the border area between the Mongolian People's Republic (on whose territory, in accordance with the Soviet-Mongolian protocol of 1936, there were Soviet troops) and the puppet state of Manchukuo, which was actually controlled by Japan, several incidents occurred between the Mongols and the Japanese-Manchus. Mongolia, backed by the Soviet Union, announced the passage of the border near the small village of Nomon-Khan-Burd-Obo, and Manchukuo, backed by Japan, drew the border along the Khalkhin Gol River. In May, the command of the Japanese Kwantung Army concentrated significant forces near Khalkhin Gol. The Japanese managed to achieve superiority in infantry, artillery and cavalry over the Soviet 57th separate rifle corps deployed in Mongolia. However, the Soviet troops had an advantage in aviation and armored forces. Since May, the Japanese held the eastern bank of Khalkhin Gol, but in the summer they decided to force the river and seize a bridgehead on the "Mongolian" bank.
On July 2, Japanese units crossed the "Manchu-Mongolian" border officially recognized by Japan and tried to gain a foothold. The command of the Red Army put into action all the forces that could be delivered to the conflict area. The Soviet mechanized brigades, having made an unprecedented march through the desert, immediately entered the battle in the region of Mount Bain-Tsagan, in which about 400 tanks and armored vehicles, over 300 guns and several hundred aircraft participated on both sides. As a result, the Japanese lost almost all of their tanks. During a 3-day bloody battle, the Japanese managed to push back across the river. However, now Moscow was already insisting on a forceful solution of the issue, especially since there was a threat of a second Japanese invasion. G.K. Zhukov was appointed commander of the rifle corps. Aviation was reinforced by pilots with combat experience in Spain and China. On August 20, Soviet troops went on the offensive. By the end of August 23, the Japanese troops were surrounded. An attempt to release this group, made by the enemy, was repelled. Surrounded fought fiercely until 31 August. The conflict led to the total resignation of the command of the Kwantung Army and the change of government. The new government immediately asked the Soviet side for an armistice, which was signed in Moscow on 15 September.
19. Battle for Moscow (1941-1942)
The long and bloody defense of Moscow, which began in September 1941, from December 5 passed into the offensive phase, which ended on April 20, 1942. On December 5, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive and German divisions rolled west. The plan of the Soviet command to encircle the main forces of Army Group Center east of Vyazma was not fully implemented. The Soviet troops lacked mobile formations, and there was no experience of a coordinated offensive of such masses of troops.
However, the result was impressive. The enemy was thrown back from Moscow by 100–250 kilometers, and the immediate threat to the capital, which is the most important industrial and transport hub, was eliminated. In addition, the victory near Moscow was of great psychological significance. For the first time in the entire war, the enemy was defeated and retreated tens and hundreds of kilometers. German General Gunther Blumentritt recalled: “Now it was important for the political leaders of Germany to understand that the days of blitzkrieg had sunk into the past. We were confronted by an army far superior in its fighting qualities to all other armies with which we had ever had to meet.
20. Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943)
The defense of Stalingrad became one of the most fierce operations of that war. By the end of the street fighting, which lasted from August to November, Soviet troops held only three isolated bridgeheads on the right bank of the Volga; in the divisions of the 62nd Army, which defended the city, there were 500-700 people left, but the Germans did not succeed in throwing them into the river. Meanwhile, since September, the Soviet command had been preparing an operation to encircle the German group advancing on Stalingrad.
On November 19, 1942, Soviet troops went on the offensive north of Stalingrad, and the next day, south of it. On November 23, the shock wedges of the Soviet troops met near the city of Kalach, which marked the encirclement of the Stalingrad grouping of the enemy. 22 enemy divisions (about 300 thousand people) were in the ring. This was the turning point of the entire war.
In December 1942, the German command tried to release the encircled group, but the Soviet troops repelled this onslaught. Fighting in the area of Stalingrad continued until February 2, 1943. Over 90 thousand enemy soldiers and officers (including 24 generals) surrendered.
Soviet trophies were 5,762 guns, 1,312 mortars, 12,701 machine guns, 156,987 rifles, 10,722 machine guns, 744 aircraft, 166 tanks, 261 armored vehicles, 80,438 cars, 10,679 motorcycles, 240 tractors, 571 tractors, 3 armored trains and other military equipment .
21. Battle of Kursk (1943)
The Battle of Kursk is one of the greatest in the history of the Great Patriotic War, which marked a radical turning point in hostilities. After it, the strategic initiative completely passed into the hands of the Soviet command.
Building on the success achieved at Stalingrad, Soviet troops launched a large-scale offensive on the front from Voronezh to the Black Sea. Simultaneously, in January 1943, besieged Leningrad was released.
Only by the spring of 1943 did the Wehrmacht manage to stop the Soviet offensive in Ukraine. Although units of the Red Army occupied Kharkov and Kursk, and the advanced units of the Southwestern Front were already fighting on the outskirts of Zaporozhye, German troops, transferring reserves from other sectors of the front, pulling up troops from Western Europe, actively maneuvering mechanized formations, launched a counteroffensive and re-occupied Kharkov. As a result, the front line on the southern flank of the confrontation acquired a characteristic shape, which later became known as the Kursk salient.
It was here that the German command decided to inflict a decisive defeat on the Soviet troops. It was supposed to cut it off with blows to the base of the arc, surrounding two Soviet fronts at once.
The German command planned to achieve success, among other things, through the widespread use of the latest types of military equipment. It was on the Kursk Bulge that heavy German Panther tanks and Ferdinand self-propelled artillery guns were first used.
The Soviet command knew about the plans of the enemy and deliberately decided to cede the strategic initiative to the enemy. The idea was to wear out the shock divisions of the Wehrmacht in pre-prepared positions, and then go on the counteroffensive. And it must be admitted that this plan was successful.
Yes, not everything went as planned, and on the southern face of the arc, German tank wedges almost broke through the defenses, but in general Soviet operation developed according to the original idea. One of the largest tank battles in the world took place near the Prokhorovka station, in which more than 800 tanks took part simultaneously. Although the Soviet troops in this battle also suffered heavy losses, the offensive potential of the Germans was lost.
More than 100 thousand participants in the Battle of Kursk were awarded orders and medals, more than 180 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In honor of the victory in the Battle of Kursk, an artillery salute sounded for the first time.
22. Capture of Berlin (1945)
The assault on Berlin began on April 25, 1945 and continued until May 2. The Soviet troops had to literally gnaw through the enemy defenses - the battles went for every intersection, for every house. The garrison of the city consisted of 200 thousand people, who had at their disposal about 3000 guns and about 250 tanks, so the assault on Berlin was an operation comparable to the defeat of the encircled German army near Stalingrad.
On May 1, the new Chief of the German General Staff, General Krebs, informed the Soviet representatives about Hitler's suicide and offered a truce. However, the Soviet side demanded unconditional surrender. In this situation, the new German government set a course to achieve an early surrender to the Western allies. Since Berlin was already surrounded, on May 2, the commander of the city garrison, General Weindling, capitulated, but only on behalf of the Berlin garrison.
Characteristically, some units refused to comply with this order and tried to break through to the west, but were intercepted and defeated. Meanwhile, negotiations between German and Anglo-American representatives were going on in Reims. The German delegation insisted on the surrender of troops on the western front, hoping to continue the war in the east, but the American command demanded unconditional surrender.
Finally signed on May 7 unconditional surrender Germany, which was supposed to attack at 23.01 on May 8. From the USSR, this act was signed by General Susloparov. However, the Soviet government considered that the surrender of Germany should, firstly, take place in Berlin, and secondly, be signed by the Soviet command.
23. Defeat of the Kwantung Army (1945)
Japan during the Second World War was an ally of Nazi Germany and waged a war of conquest with China, during which all known species weapons of mass destruction, including biological and chemical weapons.
Marshal Vasilevsky was appointed commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops in the Far East. In less than a month, Soviet troops defeated the million-strong Kwantung Army stationed in Manchuria and liberated all of Northern China and part of Central China from Japanese occupation.
A highly professional army fought against the Kwantung Army. It was impossible to stop her. The military textbooks included the operation of the Soviet troops to overcome the Gobi Desert and the Khingan Range. In just two days, the 6th Guards Tank Army crossed the mountains and found itself deep behind enemy lines. During this outstanding offensive, about 200 thousand Japanese were taken prisoner, many weapons and equipment were captured.
The heroic efforts of our fighters also took the heights of "Acute" and "Camel" of the Khutous fortified area. The approaches to the heights were located in hard-to-reach wetlands and were well protected by scarps and barbed wire. The firing points of the Japanese were cut down in a granite rock massif.
The capture of the Khutou fortress cost the lives of over a thousand Soviet soldiers and officers. The Japanese did not negotiate and rejected all calls for surrender. During the 11 days of the assault, almost all of them died, only 53 people surrendered.
As a result of the war, the Soviet Union returned to its territory the territories lost Russian Empire in 1905 following the results of the Portsmouth peace, however, the loss of the South Kuriles by Japan has not been recognized by her until now. Japan capitulated, but a peace treaty with Soviet Union was not signed.
