When World War II started.
Monologue of a non-historian in three parts.
Part one. Fakes.
History - Hooker Politics (C)
For almost the entire 20th century, local wars were waged in different parts of the Earth, which twice developed into world wars. Here's how it happened the second time and the conversation will go.
World War II began on September 1, 1939 with the German attack on Poland. As an indisputable truth, this phrase is used in school textbooks and encyclopedias, in scientific works and works of art. Yes, not in all, in Chinese, for example, there are completely different dates, and in the USA there are works that also have other dates. Recently, a modernized version has sometimes been used: World War II in Europe began on September 1, 1939.
A simple question: "Who decided that the Second World War began on September 1, 1939, and not on some other day?". The simple answer is that no one, none of those whose powers are difficult to challenge, did not decide this way, namely: the big three - Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill (surnames are given in the order of the Russian alphabet) did not decide that way. There is no corresponding UN resolution either, and the Nuremberg Tribunal did not discuss this date. Thus, the statement "World War II began on September 1, 1939", first expressed by some English or American journalist in December 1941, has no official status and no legal force.
The Second World War ended on September 2, 1945 with the signing of Japan's surrender. Japan did not attack Poland, and the question arises, when did Japan enter the Second World War? There are two possible answers. Japan began to seize Asian countries, either from September 18, 1931, or from July 7, 1937, which date is not so important, the main thing is that by September 1, 1939, Japan had captured territories comparable in area and population to Western Europe, with Hundreds of thousands, if more, of Asians were killed in this. In any case, the local wars that turned into the Second World War began in Asia, not in Europe, hence the statement “The Second World War began on the first of September 1939” is a fake.
The first of September 1939 was called the start of World War II to blame Soviet Union in its unleashing, and the key words of this accusation are "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact." Through the efforts of falsifiers, under the words "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact", the following sequence of events began to be perceived: "So, Stalin and Hitler each sat down in front of their own globe and agreed on the division of the world by phone, and Molotov and Ribbentrop formalized these agreements on paper, signed - that's a week later The Second World War has begun."
In the eight days that have passed since the signing of the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR and before the start of the local German-Polish war, it is simply impossible to plan and prepare a war of this size - there is too little time, it is difficult for a non-specialist to imagine the amount of work to prepare for a war of this scale, but if the supporters of this version wish to make the specialists and just people who have common sense then let them laugh, and archival documents show how much time it actually took Germany to prepare for an attack on Poland.
There are two documents in the archives: " white plan" which was signed by Hitler on April 3, 1939 and the directive of the German Army High Command "On unified training armed forces to war" signed on April 11, 1939. The "White Plan" refers to political decision about the war with Poland, and the directive describes a detailed plan for preparing an attack with a readiness to start a war on September 1, 1939. On April 28, 1939, Germany officially informed Poland that the Non-Aggression Protocol, which was signed by Poland and Germany in 1934, was terminated, thus, back in April 1939, Germany warned Poland about the imminent start of the war.
The German war plan provided for the following distribution of German troops: 57 regular divisions, including all tank and mechanized divisions against 39 divisions and 16 separate brigades Polish army, and 23 reserve divisions against 65 regular and 45 French reserve plus several regular British divisions stationed in France, this distribution proves that long before the attack on Poland, Hitler already knew that England and France would not defend Poland by military operations. When and under what circumstances he learned this is one of the main secrets of this period of world history.
The non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR was signed on August 23, 1939, and the German documents in April 1939, from a comparison of these dates it follows that the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR has nothing to do with Germany's decision to attack Poland, nor to the date of this attack, and the accusation of the USSR of unleashing the Second World War is a fake.
Treaty and pact are different types of diplomatic documents, for example, on September 29, 1939, the newspaper Trud published on one page the German-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and the Border between the USSR and Germany and the Mutual Assistance Pact between the USSR and the Republic of Estonia.
If the document is called a non-aggression pact, then it is difficult to attribute any aggressive articles to it, and if the document is called the "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact", then anything can be attributed to its content. That is why the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR was given the fake name "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact" and used instead of the real name. The use of the term "Molotov-Ribbetrop Pact" serves to hide the true meaning of the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR, as well as to create new fakes.
Here is an example of using the term "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact" to create another fake. From June 29 to July 3, 2009, the eighteenth annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly took place in Vilnius. Among the resolutions adopted at it was the resolution “The reunification of a divided Europe: the promotion of human rights and civil liberties in the region in the 21st century.” Here are paragraphs 10. and 11. of this resolution:
"ten. Recalling the initiative of the European Parliament to declare 23 August, i.e. day of the signing of the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact 70 years ago, a pan-European day of remembrance for the victims of Stalinism and Nazism in the name of preserving the memory of the victims of mass deportations and executions, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
11. Reaffirms its united position, which rejects totalitarian rule in any form, regardless of its ideological basis; …”
There is no document entitled "Pact "Ribbebtrop-Molotov"" and signed by Molotov and Ribbebtrop, therefore it could not be signed either on September 23, 1939, or on any other day, and any content can be attributed to a non-existent document, in an agreement on non-aggression between Germany and the USSR does not say anything about mass deportations and executions, and the very concept of "divided Europe" is based on a fake called "secret additional protocol".
It is also a lie to say that the Second World War in Europe began on September 1, 1939, because. the German-Polish war that began on that day was not the first local war in Europe after the end of the First World War.
About when the first local war began in Europe and what is the true meaning of the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR will be discussed in the second part.
Part two. Restoring the truth
Stalin is not my friend, but the truth is dearer.
First, a little about the art of war. Ideal military operation of any level is an operation in which the object of attack is captured without damage, there are no losses of personnel and there is no consumption of ammunition, while it is not so important what is the object of attack: a barn on the outskirts of an abandoned village, a city like Paris or an entire country. AT recent history a generally recognized example of such a carefully planned, prepared and conducted operation is the capture of Denmark by Germany on April 9, 1940 during a local war.
And now a little about the laws. The first local war in Europe was preceded by the events of February 22, 1938. Until that date, Germany and Italy were lawbreakers in Europe, and on this day England joined them. Until February 22, 1938, security and international law in Europe were ensured by the observance of the Charter of the League of Nations, Hitler's attempts to seize Austria were stopped not only by diplomatic demarches, but also by the advancement of troops to defend Austria.
On February 22, 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared in Parliament that Austria could no longer count on the protection of the League of Nations: “We must not deceive, much less reassure small weak states, promising them protection from the League of Nations and appropriate steps with our side, because we know that nothing of the kind can be done.” Translated from the diplomatic language, this means: Great Britain will no longer abide by the Charter of the League of Nations, from that moment international law in Europe ceases to operate, laws will no longer be observed - save yourself, who can! .
Hitler took advantage of this and on the night of March 11 to 12, 1938, German troops, previously concentrated on the border in accordance with the Otto plan, invaded Austrian territory. Austria was invaded by Germany during a local war, the first local war in Europe after the end of the First World War. From a military point of view, the capture of Austria by Germany is absolutely no different from the capture of Denmark and will be the result of the same carefully planned, prepared and conducted local war. If the German takeover of Austria is not a war, then what is the German takeover of Denmark?
As a result of the capture of Austria, Hitler had industry at his disposal, including the military, developed agriculture, and most importantly, the citizens of Austria, who were later turned into cannon fodder. With the German capture of Austria, lawlessness and war continued their march across Europe, and it began with the invasion of the Italo-German troops in Spain, which decided the outcome of the civil war in that country in favor of Franco.
In the fall of 1938, Germany made claims against Czechoslovakia. The problem could be solved in several ways: France was obliged to provide military assistance to Czechoslovakia in accordance with the existing agreement, but France acted illegally, refusing to fulfill its obligations. The USSR alone was ready to provide any military assistance to Czechoslovakia under the only condition - Poland had to allow the Red Army to cross Polish territory. The Soviet Union did not have a common border with Czechoslovakia. France and England did not force Poland to give such permission, Poland could give such permission on its own, but refused to let the Red Army through. With its refusal to fulfill obligations under the treaty for the defense of Czechoslovakia, France not only added to the list of lawlessness, but also warned Poland that France would not defend Poland in the coming war, but the Polish rulers did not understand this.
The problem was solved by the signing of the Munich Treaty, as a result of which Germany captured one part of the Czech Republic during a local war, as a result of another local war Poland occupied another part of the Czech territory, Hungary captured another part of the territory of Czechoslovakia in the third local war, and finally the subsequent local war Germany completed the occupation of the rest of the Czech Republic. The Munich Treaty mentions the territorial claims of Hungary to Czechoslovakia, but nothing is said about the claims of Poland, thus, by attacking the Czech Republic, Poland violated not only the charter of the League of Nations, but also the Munich Treaty, i.e. demonstrated double wrongdoing.
The fighting of the German, Polish and Hungarian armed forces are local wars because they are no different from the capture of Denmark by Germany.
Everyone knows that the Czech Republic is a small country in the center of Europe, but few people know that the Czech military industry is one of the largest in the world, then, in 1938, only the Skoda concern produced more military products than the entire military industry of England combined, and apart from Skoda, weapons other factories also produced, ready-made weapons for dozens of divisions were stored in Czech warehouses. One of the largest military industries in the world and huge stocks of weapons - such a gift was given to Hitler by the rulers of England and France by illegally disposing of someone else's property. By signing the Munich Treaty, the rulers of England and France officially handed over power in Europe to lawlessness.
The next war was the Italo-Albanian. It began on April 7, 1939 with an Italian attack. For those who believe that I inserted bloodless wars to falsify the numbering of local wars in Europe, I clarify that the Italo-Albanian war was a war of fighting, casualties and destruction, so the first shot of World War II in Europe was fired on April 7, 1939.
In August 1939, Anglo-French-Soviet negotiations were held in Moscow to develop a plan for joint military operations in the event of a German attack on any of the European countries. The Soviet delegation was headed by the People's Commissar (Minister) of Defense, British and French minor generals and admirals, who did not even have the authority to sign anything. The negotiations ended in vain in the second half of August, by their actions the governments of England and France clearly and unequivocally announced their position: England and France will not fight against Germany, and therefore they do not need help from the Soviet Union, therefore, in the event of a war between Germany and the Soviet Union England and France also will not fight against Germany. The question of whether England and France would fight against the Soviet Union together with Germany remained open.
In fact, the negotiations themselves were a magnificent operation of Anglo-French intelligence, which received first-hand the most detailed information about the strength and equipment of the Red Army, about the possibilities military industry and road capacity, etc.
Ribbentrop arrived in Moscow on August 21, 1939. The detailed content of his negotiations with the Soviet leadership is unknown, but at least Ribbentrop did not deny that, in accordance with the directive of the German High Command of April 11, 1939, the German troops were completing preparations for the war against Poland and would begin fighting the first of September 1939.
So, the Soviet leadership, continuing the war with Japan, an ally of Germany, at Halkin Gol, had a choice of three options:
1. Start a war against Germany on the territory of Poland.
2. Wait until Germany conquers Poland and start a war against Germany on the Soviet-Polish border.
If one of these options was chosen, the Soviet Union was guaranteed a war on two fronts, with the risk of a third front, when attacked by England and France, the third option was naturally chosen:
3. Without fear of a German attack, end the war with Japan. Maintain neutrality in the beginning war of Germany against Poland, England, France. Adjust your policy depending on the course of this war.
From the moment Hitler came to power, neither the leaders of Germany nor the leaders of the USSR had any doubts about the upcoming German-Soviet war, and when the possibility of war began to turn into a reality in August 1939, the German and Soviet leadership realized that if Germany and the USSR began to fight each other with a friend in the military-political conditions of August 1939, then the winner in this war, even Germany, even the USSR, will be so weakened that he will be forced to fulfill the will of England and France, and if he tries to resist, he will be immediately attacked, defeated and occupied by the Anglo-French troops.
The presence of such Anglo-French plans is proved by the actions of Churchill at the beginning of 1945: by his order, the German troops captured by the British were placed in ordinary military camps, where they were under symbolic British protection, but in full accordance with the German charters, their weapons and combat equipment in full readiness for use were nearby. This was preparation for a joint Anlo-American-German attack on the USSR, and Churchill urged the American leadership to lead and carry out this attack as quickly as possible. The allies, including the USSR and England, defeated Germany, the USSR was greatly weakened in this war, England was also weakened, she herself was not able to attack, so she was putting together a new coalition to attack the USSR - England's foreign policy is famous for its consistency and perseverance ...
On August 23, 1939, the leaders of Germany and the USSR signed a non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR in Moscow. No secret additional protocols were signed. This is proven in the article "Secret protocol - another fake."
The true meaning of the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR simply follows from its name, content and international situation in August 1939: Germany and the USSR will not fight among themselves for Anglo-French interests.
Protocol phrases about the terms of the non-aggression pact were a formality, because. both sides knew that war between Germany and the USSR would begin when Hitler decided that Germany was ready for a victorious war. Other German-Soviet treaties concluded a little later were used by each side to create for themselves best conditions for a future war.
Although the non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR caused intense diplomatic activity by the leaders of England and France, it did not change their decision not to fight Germany.
Part three. Local wars
On September 1, 1939, Germany attacked Poland, but there were no headlines in the newspapers "The Second World War has begun", and when England and France declared war on Germany a couple of days later, there were no headlines "England and France entered the world war" either.
Here I planned to indicate the name of the person who was the first in the world to say: "The Second World War began on the first of September 1939", it may not be possible to find this person, but it is quite possible to establish the first newspaper.
In the process of searching, I found the following: during the whole of 1939 there was no hint of an allegedly ongoing world war, in 1940 Churchill once mentioned a world war, but in a geographical sense, when the German fleet began attacks on British ships across the world's oceans , and only in December 1941, almost simultaneously in a number of American and British newspapers, articles appeared with hints that a world war was going on and it began in September 1939. Maybe there is someone who wants to conduct a study on the topic: "The emergence, spread and conquest of almost the entire world by the myth of the beginning of the Second World War on September 1, 1939"?
On September 1, 1939, a local German-Polish war began, purely formally it should be called German-Polish-French-English, but such a name is an insult to the memory of the dead Polish soldiers. 110 French and no matter how many English divisions stood against 23 German divisions while the rest of the German army was grinding the Polish army. Since England and France were not fighting, the German army was rapidly moving deep into Poland. There was a danger that the German army would go directly to the Soviet-Polish border. To prevent this, on September 17, 1939, the Red Army group moved towards the German troops. There was no predetermined line of separation of the Soviet and German troops, everything was decided promptly, not always in a timely manner, which led to small combat clashes with losses in manpower and military equipment on both sides.
The Polish state ceased to exist. The border between the USSR and Germany was clarified and legally formalized by the German-Soviet Treaty of September 28, 1939, this line divided the territory on which the Polish state existed until September 17, 1939.
The question of the legality of this section can be answered in two ways: if we admit that de facto international laws have not worked in Europe since February 22, 1938, then Germany and the USSR did not violate anything by partitioning Poland, and if we consider that formally the charter of the League of Nations continued to operate, then the partition of Poland took place in accordance with the same law by which England and France gave Austria to Germany, by which England, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Hungary divided Czechoslovakia, and by which Italy captured Albania. This law does not yet have a name, and I propose to call it Chamberlain's lawlessness law.
The time has come for the USSR to prepare for a big war, whether against Germany or England and France, or even all of them together. It was decided to start with Finland. The border with Finland passed 15-18 kilometers from Leningrad - largest center defense industry, and the Finns had cannons with a range of up to 30 kilometers, from which they could fire at the largest defense factories. To prevent this, the USSR began a local war against Finland.
Meanwhile, inaction continued on the Franco-German border, which contemporaries called the “strange war”, “the losses of the French army from September 1, 1939 to December 31, 1939 amounted to 1 person - the regimental scout shot himself out of boredom”, this is an example of the French humor of those times. "Why are the French and English soldiers standing?" - this question was asked by the dying Polish soldiers, it was asked by everyone, including the English and French soldiers themselves, only those who knew the answer were silent - the rulers of England and France.
There are many versions explaining the inaction of the British and French armies, I will give my own: English and French soldiers did not fight the Germans, because the rulers of England and France were going to fight against the USSR.
Weapons were flowing into Finland and the first 100,000-strong expeditionary corps was preparing to be sent. Time is the main reason for the stupid, unprepared attacks of the Red Army on the Mannerheim Line, it was necessary to have time to win the war with Finland before England and France entered it, this task was solved with the blood of the Red Army - Finland was forced to sign a peace treaty before the landing of the Anglo-French troops, and there were no major battles on the Franco-German border, but according to the accepted chronology, this stand-up should be called: "England and France are waging the Second World War against Germany."
But not all British and French troops were idle, many were very, very busy, especially the high command. Reconnaissance flights were made over Baku, and its bombardment was planned. The German leadership was well aware of the impossibility of Germany winning a war on two fronts, but now it was able to concentrate absolutely all forces against France, without any fear of a blow from the USSR. The German command took advantage of the situation, and on May 10, 1940, German troops went on the offensive against France and its neighbors. Here are the main reasons for the lightning defeat of France:
1. Refusal to fulfill obligations to protect Czechoslovakia and the signing of the Munich Agreement.
2. The actual refusal to fulfill allied obligations towards Poland.
3. Wrong disposition of troops - the main forces were preparing to repel the German offensive from the north.
4. Too high hopes for the Maginot Line, which the Germans simply bypassed. French experts provided for the possibility of such a detour, but some routes were considered impassable for tanks and did not cover them in any way, it was along these routes that the German tanks bypassed the Maginot line.
Hitler decided not to litter the beaches of Dunkirk with the British, and ordered the German troops to stop 10-15 km from the coast. By this, Hitler demonstrated his peacefulness and offered England to end the war. Having abandoned their equipment and weapons, the British and part of the French troops crossed over to England, and the local Anglo-French-German war ended with the defeat of France. England refused to negotiate with Germany and a local Anglo-German war began, the first part of which is rightly called the "Battle for England".
On June 14, 1940, the USSR began to neutralize the danger of the Baltic foothold being unoccupied. The dictatorial regimes of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia tended to cooperate extensively with Germany, and the presence of German troops on their territory gave Germany a strategic advantage in the upcoming German-Soviet war. To include Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia into the USSR, the Soviet leadership developed and applied a set of political technologies, which are still used in a modernized form today under the name "color revolutions".
The term "Inclusion" was used by the United States for the name of this process even then and did not recognize its legitimacy, but the very use of this term proves that from the point of view of international law, the Baltic countries were included in the USSR without war and occupation.
On September 13, 1940, hostilities began in Africa.
With a series of local wars, Germany captured almost all of Europe, and the USSR improved its strategic position at the expense of Romania, and on June 22, 1941, a local German-Soviet war began.
All this time, Japan continued a series of local wars in Asia and the Pacific, and on December 8, 1941, Japanese troops attacked Pearl Harbor. Japan declared war on the US. Germany declared war on the United States three days later. This day, December 11, 1941, united the battles on the thousand-kilometer European, Asian and African fronts and on the thousand-mile Pacific front into one big battle, on this day a series of local wars in Asia and the Pacific, merging with a series of European local wars, turned into the Second World War.
Formally, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and Germany's declaration of war on the United States are three days apart, but in fact the battle of Pearl Harbor is the very first battle of World War II, its true place in world history, which the falsifiers stole from the American people.
So when did World War II start?
Maybe it's time to call a plenipotentiary international conference, which reasonably and honestly answers this question and gives the answer an official status?
A terrible war with large-scale human losses did not begin in 1939, but much earlier. Following the results of the First World War of 1918, almost all European countries acquired new frontiers. Most were deprived of part of their historical territory, which led to small wars in conversation and in the minds.
The new generation brought up hatred for enemies and resentment for the lost cities. There were reasons to resume the war. However, in addition to psychological reasons, there were also important historical prerequisites. The Second World War, in short, involved the entire globe in hostilities.
Causes of the war
Scientists identify several main reasons for the outbreak of hostilities:Territorial disputes. The winners of the 1918 war, England and France, divided Europe with their allies at their own discretion. Decays Russian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire led to the emergence of 9 new states. The lack of clear boundaries gave rise to great controversy. The defeated countries wanted to return their borders, and the winners did not want to part with the annexed territories. All territorial issues in Europe have always been resolved with the help of weapons. avoid start new war was impossible.
colonial disputes. The defeated countries were deprived of their colonies, which were a constant source of replenishment of the treasury. In the colonies themselves, the local population raised liberation uprisings with armed skirmishes.
rivalry between states. Germany after the defeat wanted revenge. It has always been the leading power in Europe, and after the war was largely limited.
Dictatorship. The dictatorial regime has grown considerably in many countries. The dictators of Europe first developed their army to suppress internal uprisings, and then to seize new territories.
The emergence of the USSR. The new power was not inferior to the might of the Russian Empire. It was a worthy competitor to the United States and leading European countries. They began to fear the emergence of communist movements.
The beginning of the war
Even before the signing of the Soviet-German agreement, Germany had planned an aggression against the Polish side. At the beginning of 1939, a decision was made, and on August 31, a directive was signed. State contradictions of the 30s led to the Second World War.The Germans did not recognize their defeat in 1918 and the Versailles agreements, which oppressed the interests of Russia and Germany. Power went to the Nazis, blocs of fascist states began to form, and large states did not have the strength to resist German aggression. Poland was the first on the way of Germany to world domination.
At night September 1, 1939 German secret services launched Operation Himmler. Dressed in Polish uniforms, they seized a radio station in the suburbs and called on the Poles to rise up against the Germans. Hitler announced aggression from the Polish side and began hostilities.
After 2 days, Germany declared war on England and France, which had previously concluded agreements with Poland on mutual assistance. They were supported by Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India and the countries of South Africa. The outbreak of the war became a world war. But Poland did not receive military and economic assistance from any of the supporting countries. If English and French troops were added to the Polish forces, then the German aggression would be instantly stopped.
The population of Poland rejoiced at the entry into the war of their allies and waited for support. However, time passed, and help did not come. The weak side of the Polish army was aviation.
Two German armies "South" and "North" consisting of 62 divisions opposed 6 Polish armies from 39 divisions. The Poles fought with dignity, but the numerical superiority of the Germans proved to be the decisive factor. In almost 2 weeks, almost the entire territory of Poland was occupied. The Curzon Line was formed.
The Polish government left for Romania. The defenders of Warsaw and the Brest Fortress went down in history thanks to their heroism. The Polish army lost its organizational integrity.
Stages of war
From September 1, 1939 to June 21, 1941 The first phase of World War II began. Characterizes the beginning of the war and the entry of the German military into Western Europe. On September 1, the Nazis attacked Poland. After 2 days, France and England declared war on Germany with their colonies and dominions.The Polish armed forces did not have time to turn around, the top leadership was weak, and the allied powers were in no hurry to help. The result was the complete cupping of Polish territory.
France and England until May next year did not change their foreign policy. They hoped that German aggression would be directed against the USSR.
In April 1940, the German army entered Denmark without warning and occupied its territory. Norway fell immediately behind Denmark. At the same time, the German leadership was implementing the Gelb plan, it was decided to attack France unexpectedly through the neighboring Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The French concentrated their forces on the Maginot Line, and not in the center of the country. Hitler attacked through the Ardennes behind the Maginot Line. On May 20, the Germans reached the English Channel, the Dutch and Belgian armies surrendered. In June, the French fleet was defeated, part of the army managed to evacuate to England.
The French army did not use all the possibilities of resistance. On June 10, the government left Paris, which was occupied by the Germans on June 14. After 8 days, the Compiegne Armistice was signed (June 22, 1940) - the French act of surrender.
Great Britain was to be next. There was a change of government. The US began to support the British.
In the spring of 1941, the Balkans were captured. On March 1, the Nazis appeared in Bulgaria, and on April 6 already in Greece and Yugoslavia. Western and Central Europe were dominated by Hitler. Preparations began for an attack on the Soviet Union.
From June 22, 1941 to November 18, 1942 the second phase of the war began. Germany invaded the territory of the USSR. Started new stage, characterized by the unification of all military forces in the world against fascism. Roosevelt and Churchill openly declared their support for the Soviet Union. On July 12, the USSR and England signed an agreement on common military operations. On August 2, the United States pledged to provide military and economic assistance to the Russian army. On August 14, England and the USA promulgated the Atlantic Charter, which was later joined by the USSR with its own opinion on military issues.
In September, Russian and British troops occupied Iran to prevent the formation of fascist bases in the East. The Anti-Hitler coalition is being created.
The German army met strong resistance in the autumn of 1941. The plan to capture Leningrad failed, as Sevastopol and Odessa resisted for a long time. On the eve of 1942, the "blitzkrieg" plan disappeared. Hitler was defeated near Moscow, and the myth of German invincibility was dispelled. Before Germany became the need for a protracted war.
In early December 1941, the Japanese military attacked the US base in pacific ocean. Two powerful powers entered the war. The US declared war on Italy, Japan and Germany. Thanks to this, the anti-Hitler coalition strengthened. A number of mutual assistance agreements were concluded among the allied countries.
From November 19, 1942 to December 31, 1943 the third phase of the war began. It is called a turning point. The military operations of this period acquired a huge scale and intensity. Everything was decided on the Soviet-German front. On November 19, Russian troops launched a counteroffensive near Stalingrad. (Battle of Stalingrad July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943) . Their victory served as a strong stimulus for the following battles.
To return the strategic initiative, Hitler carried out an attack near Kursk in the summer of 1943 ( Battle of Kursk July 5, 1943 - August 23, 1943). He lost and went on the defensive. However, the allies of the Anti-Hitler coalition were in no hurry to fulfill their duties. They were waiting for the exhaustion of Germany and the USSR.
On July 25, the Italian fascist government was liquidated. The new head declared war on Hitler. The fascist bloc began to disintegrate.
Japan did not weaken the grouping on the Russian border. The United States replenished its military forces and launched successful offensives in the Pacific.
From January 1, 1944 to May 9, 1945 . The fascist army was forced out of the USSR, a second front was being created, European countries were being liberated from the fascists. The joint efforts of the Anti-Fascist Coalition led to a complete collapse german army and the surrender of Germany. Great Britain and the United States conducted large-scale operations in Asia and the Pacific.
May 10, 1945 - September 2, 1945 . Armed actions are carried out on Far East, as well as in Southeast Asia. The US used nuclear weapons.
Great Patriotic War(June 22, 1941 - May 9, 1945).
World War II (September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945).
The results of the war
The greatest losses fell on the Soviet Union, which took the brunt of the German army. 27 million people died. The resistance of the Red Army led to the defeat of the Reich.Military action could lead to the collapse of civilization. War criminals and fascist ideology were condemned at all world trials.
In 1945, a decision was signed in Yalta on the creation of the UN to prevent such actions.
The consequences of the use of nuclear weapons over Nagasaki and Hiroshima forced many countries to sign a pact banning the use of weapons of mass destruction.
The countries of Western Europe have lost their economic dominance, which has passed to the United States.
The victory in the war allowed the USSR to expand its borders and strengthen the totalitarian regime. Some countries have become communist.
Start Second world wars(September 1, 1939 – June 22, 1941).
At dawn on September 1, 1939, the troops of the German Wehrmacht suddenly launched hostilities against Poland. Using overwhelming superiority in forces and means, the Nazi command was able to quickly achieve large-scale operational results. Despite the fact that France, Great Britain and the countries of the British Commonwealth immediately declared war on Germany, they did not provide effective and real assistance to Poland. The courageous resistance of the Polish soldiers near Mława, near Modlin and the heroic twenty-day defense of Warsaw could not save Poland from disaster.
At the same time, the troops of the Red Army, almost without resistance, from September 17 to 29 occupied the regions of Western Belarus and Western Ukraine. 28 September 1939 first campaign Second world wars has been completed. Poland ceased to exist.
At the same day In Moscow, a new Soviet-German treaty "On Friendship and Borders" was signed, which secured the partition of Poland. New secret agreements gave the USSR the possibility of "freedom of action" in creating a "sphere of security" near its western borders, secured the annexation of the western regions of Belarus and Ukraine, allowed the Soviet Union to conclude agreements on "mutual assistance" September 28, 1939 with Estonia, October 5 - with Latvia, October 10 - with Lithuania. According to these treaties, the USSR received the right to deploy its troops in the Baltic republics and create naval and
air bases. Stalin went to transfer into the hands of the Gestapo many hundreds of German anti-fascists who were hiding in the USSR from the Nazis, and also deported hundreds of thousands of Poles, both former military personnel and the civilian population.
At the same time, the Stalinist leadership stepped up pressure on Finland. On October 12, 1939, she was asked to conclude an agreement "on mutual assistance" with the USSR. However, the Finnish leadership abandoned the agreements with the USSR, and the negotiations were unsuccessful.
The defeat of Poland and a temporary alliance with Stalin provided Hitler with a reliable rear for carrying out a blitzkrieg in the Western European theater of operations. Already on October 9, 1939, the Fuhrer signed a directive on preparing an attack on France, and 10 days later a plan for the strategic concentration of German troops was approved to carry out offensive operations in the West.
The Soviet leadership took active steps to expand the "sphere of security" in the northwest. On November 28, 1939, the USSR unilaterally denounced the 1932 non-aggression pact with Finland, and on the morning of November 30, military operations against the Finns began, which lasted almost four months. The next day (December 1) in the village. Terijoki was urgently proclaimed "the government of the Democratic Republic of Finland."
On March 12, 1940, a Soviet-Finnish peace treaty was signed in Moscow, taking into account the territorial claims presented by the USSR. the Soviet Union during wars suffered huge casualties: the army lost up to 127 thousand people killed and missing, as well as up to 248 thousand wounded and frostbite. Finland lost just over 48,000 killed and 43,000 wounded.
Politically, this war caused serious damage to the Soviet Union. On December 14, 1939, the Council of the League of Nations adopted a resolution expelling him from this organization, condemning the actions of the USSR directed against the Finnish states and urged the member states of the League of Nations to support Finland. The USSR found itself in international isolation.
The results of the "winter wars"They clearly showed the weakness of the" indestructible "Soviet Armed Forces. Soon, K.E. Voroshilov was removed from the post of People's Commissar of Defense, and S.K. Timoshenko took his place.
In the spring of 1940, Wehrmacht troops began a large-scale military campaign in Western Europe. On April 9, 1940, the strike force of the Nazi troops (about 140 thousand personnel, up to 1000 aircraft and all the forces of the fleet) attacked Denmark and Norway. Denmark (having only 13,000 troops) was occupied in a few hours, and its government immediately announced its surrender.
The situation was different in Norway, where the armed forces managed to avoid defeat and withdraw into the interior of the country, and Anglo-French troops were landed to help them. The armed struggle in Norway threatened to become protracted, so already on May 10, 1940, Hitler launched an offensive according to the Gelb plan, which provided for a lightning strike against France through Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands, bypassing the French Maginot defensive line. On June 22, 1940, the act of capitulation of France was signed, according to which its northern territory was occupied by Germany, and the southern regions remained under control " governments"collaborator Marshal A. Petain ("Vichy regime").
The defeat of France led to drastic change strategic environment in Europe. The threat of a German invasion loomed over Great Britain. A war was unfolding on sea lanes, where German submarines sank 100-140 British merchant ships every month.
Already in the summer of 1940, the front in the west ceased to exist, and the coming clash between Germany and the USSR began to take on more and more real outlines.
As a result of the German "appeasement policy" in the northeast and east of Europe, territories with a population of 14 million people were included in the USSR, and the western border was pushed back 200-600 km. At the VIII session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on August 2-6, 1940, these territorial "acquisitions" were legally formalized by laws on the formation of the Moldavian SSR and the admission of the three Baltic republics into the Union.
After the victory over France, Germany accelerated preparations for war against the USSR: the issue of the "Eastern campaign" had already been discussed on July 21, 1940 at a meeting of Hitler with the commanders of the armed forces, and on July 31 he set the task of starting the operation in May 1941 and completing her for 5 months.
On August 9, 1940, a decision was made to transfer Wehrmacht forces to the borders of the USSR, and from September they began to concentrate in Romania. At the same time, a broad campaign was launched to disinform the Soviet leadership, which played its fatal role in carrying out measures to repel aggression. On September 27 in Berlin, Germany, Italy and Japan signed a tripartite pact, which was later joined by Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Croatia. Finally, on December 18, 1940, the famous "Barbarossa option" was approved by Hitler - the plan wars against the Soviet Union.
In order to hide military preparations, I. Ribbentrop on October 13, 1940, invited I. V. Stalin to take part in the division of spheres of interest on a global scale. A meeting on this issue was held on November 12-13 in Berlin with the participation of V.M. Molotov, but because of the nomination by both sides of mutually unacceptable conditions, it was not successful.
From the beginning of 1944, the Soviet army launched a powerful offensive on all fronts. By autumn, most of the territory of the Soviet Union was cleared of invaders, and the war was transferred outside our country.
Hitler's bloc began to rapidly fall apart. On August 23, 1944, the fascist regime fell in Romania, and on September 9, an uprising broke out in Bulgaria. On September 19, an armistice was signed with Finland.
The position of Germany worsened even more after the second front was opened in Normandy (France) on June 6, 1944. The allied troops pushed the Germans from Italy, Greece, Slovakia. Things were going well in the Pacific as well. In August 1944, after stubborn fighting, the Americans captured the Mariana Islands. From the air base located on these islands, American bombers could bomb Japan, the situation of which after that deteriorated sharply.
All this raised the problem of a post-war settlement to its full potential. In the autumn of 1944, at a conference in Dumbarton Oaks (USA), the preparation of the Charter of the new international organization peacekeeping - United Nations. A little earlier, at a conference in Bretton Woods, issues related to the creation of an international monetary system were discussed. There it was decided to establish two major international financial institutions - the International Monetary Fund(IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), which supported the entire post-war monetary and financial system. The United States began to play a key role in these organizations, skillfully using them to strengthen its influence in world affairs.
The main thing at the final stage of the war was to achieve an early victory. In the spring of 1944, the war was transferred to the territory of the Reich proper. On April 13, Soviet troops took Vienna, and on April 24 the battle for Berlin began. On April 30, A. Hitler committed suicide, and on May 2, the Berlin garrison capitulated. On the night of May 8-9, 1945, the Germans were forced to sign an act of complete and unconditional surrender of Germany. The war in Europe is over.
The war in the Pacific was drawing to a close. But the high military command of Japan was not going to put up with the steadily looming disaster. However, by the spring of 1945, the strategic initiative had gone over to the side of Japan's opponents. In June, after heavy fighting, the Americans took the island of Okinawa, located in close proximity to the main territory of Japan. The ring around Japan was shrinking ever tighter. The outcome of the war was no longer in doubt.
Its ending was marked by one exceptionally important event: on August 6, 1945, the Americans dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. On August 9, the Americans repeated their attack, the object of which was the city of Nagasaki. On the same day, the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan. On September 2, 1945, Japan capitulated, and thus World War II ended.
In the course of it, an exclusively aggressive grouping of states that openly claimed to redistribute the world and unify it in their own image and likeness was completely defeated. A serious regrouping of forces also took place in the camp of the victors. The positions of Great Britain, especially France, were noticeably weakened. China began to be considered among the leading countries, but until the end of the Civil War, it could only nominally be considered a great power. All over Europe and Asia, the positions of the left forces were noticeably strengthened, whose authority increased noticeably due to their active participation in the resistance movement, and, conversely, representatives of the right-wing conservative circles, who stained themselves with cooperation with the Nazis, were pushed to the sidelines of the political process.
Finally, not just two great powers appeared in the world, but two superpowers - the USA and the USSR. The equal power of these two giants, on the one hand, and the complete mismatch of the value systems they represented, on the other hand, inevitably predetermined their sharp clash in post-war world, and it was precisely this right up to the turn of the 1980-1990s. became the core of the development of the entire system of international relations.
Today they like to repeat the phrase that the war is not over until the last soldier is buried. Is there an end to this war, when search engines every season find hundreds and hundreds of dead soldiers who remain on the battlefield? There is no end to this work, and many politicians and the military, and simply not very healthy people, have been brandishing batons for many years now, dreaming of putting back in their place the "presumptuous", in their opinion, countries, reshaping the world, taking away what they cannot get in peaceful way. These hotheads are constantly trying to ignite the fire of a new world war in different countries peace. The flames are already smoldering in Central Asia, Middle East, Africa. Light up in one place, and explode everywhere! They say that they learn from mistakes. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true, and two world wars in the 20th century alone are evidence of this.
Historians are still arguing how many died? If 15 years ago they claimed that there were more than 50 million people, now another 20 million have been added. How accurate will their calculations be in another 15 years? After all, what was in Asia (especially in China), most likely, is simply impossible to assess. The war and the famine and epidemics associated with it simply did not leave evidence in those parts. Can't this stop anyone?
The war went on for six years. The armies of 61 countries with a total population of 1,700 million people, that is, 80% of the entire earth's population, stood up under arms. The fighting covered 40 countries. And the worst thing is that the number of civilian deaths exceeded the number of those killed in hostilities by several times.
Previous events
Returning to the Second World War, it should be noted that it did not begin in 1939, but most likely in 1918. The First World War did not end with peace, but rather with a truce, the first round of global confrontation was completed, and in 1939 the second began.
After the First World War, many states of Europe disappeared from the political map, new ones were formed. Whoever won did not want to part with the acquisitions, and whoever was defeated wanted to return what was lost. The far-fetched solution of some territorial issues also caused irritation. But in Europe, territorial issues have always been resolved by force, it only remained to prepare.
Very close to territorial, colonial disputes also joined. In the colonies, the local population no longer wanted to live in the old way and constantly raised liberation uprisings.
The rivalry between the European states became even more aggravated. As they say, they carry water on the offended. Germany was offended, but was not going to carry water for the winners, despite the fact that its capabilities were severely limited.
Dictatorships have become an important factor in preparing for a future war. They began to breed in Europe in prewar years with amazing speed. Dictators first asserted themselves in their own countries, developing armies to appease their peoples, with a further aim at capturing new territories.
There was another important factor. This is the emergence of the USSR, which in its strength was not inferior to the Russian Empire. And the USSR also created the danger of the spread of communist ideas, which the European countries could not allow.
The outbreak of World War II was preceded by many different diplomatic and political factors. The Versailles agreements of 1918 did not suit Germany at all, and the Nazis who came to power created a bloc of fascist states.
By the beginning of the war, the final alignment of the warring forces took place. On one side were Germany, Italy, and Japan, and on the other, Britain, France, and the United States. The main desire of Great Britain and France was right or wrong to remove the threat of German aggression from their countries, and also to direct it to the East. I really wanted to push Nazism against Bolshevism. As a result, this policy led to the fact that, despite all the efforts of the USSR, it was not possible to prevent the war.
The culmination of the policy of appeasement, which undermined the political situation in Europe and, in fact, pushed for the outbreak of war, was the Munich Agreement of 1938 between Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy. Under this agreement, Czechoslovakia “voluntarily” transferred part of its country to Germany, and a year later, in March 1939, it was occupied altogether and ceased to exist as a state. Poland and Hungary also took part in this division of Czechoslovakia. It was the beginning, Poland was next in line.
Protracted and fruitless negotiations between the Soviet Union and Britain and France on mutual assistance in the event of aggression led to the fact that the USSR signed a non-aggression pact with Germany. Our country was able to delay the start of the war by almost two years, and these two years allowed it to strengthen its defense capability. This agreement also contributed to the conclusion of a neutrality pact with Japan.
And Great Britain and Poland literally on the eve of the war, on August 25, 1939, signed an agreement on mutual assistance, to which France joined a few days later.
Beginning of World War II
On August 1, 1939, after a provocation arranged by the German secret services, hostilities began against Poland. Two days later, England and France declared war on Germany. They were supported by Canada, New Zealand and Australia, India and the countries of South Africa. So the capture of Poland turned into a world war. But Poland never received any real help.
Two German armies, consisting of 62 divisions, completely occupied Poland within two weeks. The government of the country left for Romania. The heroism of the Polish soldiers was not enough to defend the country.
Thus began the first phase of World War II. England and France did not change their policy until May 1940, they hoped to the last that Germany would continue its offensive to the East. But everything turned out not quite so.
Major events of World War II
In April 1940, Denmark was in the way of the German army, and immediately behind it was Norway. Continuing to carry out their plan "Gelb", the German army decided to attack France through its neighboring countries - the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The French Maginot defense line could not stand it, and on May 20 the Germans reached the English Channel. The armies of Holland and Belgium capitulated. The French fleet was defeated, part of the army was able to evacuate to England. The French government left Paris and an act of surrender was signed. Next up is the UK. There has not yet been a direct invasion, but the Germans created a blockade of the island and bombarded English cities with aircraft bombs. The steadfast defense of the island in 1940 (Battle of England) only briefly held back the aggression. War at this time began to develop in the Balkans. On April 1, 1940, the Nazis captured Bulgaria, on April 6 - Greece and Yugoslavia. As a result, the entire Western and Central Europe came under the rule of Hitler. From Europe, the war spread to other parts of the world. Italo-German troops launched offensives in North Africa, and already in the autumn of 1941 it was planned to begin the conquest of the Middle East and India with the further connection of German and Japanese troops. And in Directive No. 32, which was being developed, German militarism assumed that by solving the British problem and defeating the USSR, it would eliminate the influence of the Anglo-Saxons on the American continent. Germany began preparations for an attack on the Soviet Union.
With the attack on the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, the second stage of the war began. To destroy the Soviet Union, Germany and its allies sent an invading army unprecedented in history. It consisted of 182 divisions and 20 brigades (about 5 million people, about 4.4 thousand tanks, 4.4 thousand aircraft, more than 47 thousand guns and mortars, 246 ships). Germany was supported by Romania, Finland, Hungary. Assistance was provided by Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain, Portugal and Turkey.
The Soviet Union was not fully prepared to repulse this invasion. And so the summer and autumn of 1941 were the most critical for our country. Fascist troops were able to advance from 850 to 1200 kilometers deep into our territory. Leningrad was blockaded, the Germans were dangerously close to Moscow, large parts of the Donbass, Crimea were captured, the Baltic states were occupied.
But the war with the Soviet Union did not go according to the plan of the German command. The lightning-fast capture of Moscow and Leningrad failed. The defeat of the Germans near Moscow destroyed the myth of the invincibility of their army. The question of a protracted war arose before the German generals.
It was at this time that the process of uniting all military forces in the world against fascism began. Churchill and Roosevelt officially announced that they would support the Soviet Union, and already on July 12, the USSR and England signed an appropriate agreement, and on August 2, the United States pledged to provide economic and military assistance to the Russian army. On August 14, England and the United States promulgated the Atlantic Charter, to which the USSR joined.
In September, Soviet and British troops occupied Iran in order to prevent the creation of fascist bases in the East. An anti-Hitler coalition is formed.
December 1941 was marked by an aggravation of the military situation in the Pacific. The Japanese attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. Two major countries entered the war. The Americans declared war on Italy, Japan and Germany.
But in the Pacific, in Southeast Asia and North Africa, not everything went in favor of the allies. Japan captured part of China, French Indochina, Malaya, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong. The forces of the army and navy of Great Britain, Holland and the United States suffered heavy losses in the Yavan operation.
The third stage of the war is considered to be a turning point. Military operations at this time were distinguished by their scale and intensity. The opening of the Second Front was postponed indefinitely, and the Germans threw all their forces into capturing strategic initiative on the Eastern Front. The fate of the entire war was decided at Stalingrad and Kursk. The crushing victories of the Soviet troops in 1943 served as a strong mobilizing incentive for further action.
Nevertheless, before the active actions of the allies on Western front was still far away. They waited for further depletion of the forces of Germany and the USSR.
On July 25, 1943, Italy withdrew from the war, the Italian fascist government was liquidated. The new government declared war on Hitler. The fascist alliance began to fall apart.
On June 6, 1944, the Second Front was finally opened, and more active operations of the Western Allies began. At this time, the fascist army was ousted from the territory of the Soviet Union and the liberation of European states began. The joint actions of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition led to the final defeat of the German troops and the surrender of Germany.
At the same time, the war in the East was in full swing. Japanese forces continued to threaten the Soviet border. The end of the war with Germany allowed the United States to strengthen its armies against Japan. The Soviet Union, true to its allied obligations, transferred its armies to the Far East, which also took part in the hostilities. The war in the Far East and the territories of Southeast Asia ended on September 2, 1945. In this war, the United States used nuclear weapons against Japan.
Results and consequences of World War II
The main result of the Second World War in the first place should be considered the victory over fascism. The threat of enslavement and partial destruction of humanity has disappeared.
The greatest losses were suffered by the Soviet Union, which took the brunt of the German army: 26.6 million people. The victims of the USSR and the resistance of the Red Army as a result led to the collapse of the Reich. Human losses did not bypass any nation. More than 6 million people died in Poland, 5.5 million in Germany. A huge part of the Jewish population of Europe was destroyed.
War could lead to the collapse of civilization. The peoples of the world have condemned war criminals and fascist ideology in global trials.
A new political map of the planet appeared, which, nevertheless, again divided the world into two camps, which in the long run became a cause for tension anyway.
The use of nuclear weapons by the Americans in Nagasaki and Hiroshima forced the Soviet Union to accelerate the development of its own atomic project.
The war has changed economic situation countries all over the world. The European states were knocked out of the economic elite. Economic dominance has passed to the United States of America.
The United Nations Organization (UN) was created, which gave hope that the countries would be able to agree in the future and thus the very possibility of the emergence of such conflicts as the Second World War would be excluded.
