World War II, Great Patriotic War. It was the most brutal and bloody war in human history.
During the period of this massacre, more than 60 million citizens of various countries of the world died. Historians have calculated that every war month, an average of 27,000 tons of bombs and shells fell on the heads of military and civilians on both sides of the front!
Come on today, on Victory Day, let's remember the 10 most formidable battles of World War II.
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It was the largest air battle in history. The aim of the Germans was to gain air superiority over the British Royal Air Force in order to invade the British Isles unhindered. The battle was fought exclusively by combat aircraft of the opposing sides. Germany lost 3,000 of its pilots, England - 1,800 pilots. Over 20,000 British civilians were killed. The defeat of Germany in this battle is considered one of the decisive moments in World War II - it did not allow the elimination of the Western allies of the USSR, which later led to the opening of a second front.
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The longest long battle of World War II. During the naval battles, German submarines tried to sink Soviet and British supply ships and warships. The allies responded in kind. Everyone understood the special significance of this battle - on the one hand, Western weapons and equipment were delivered by sea to the Soviet Union, on the other hand, the UK was supplied with everything necessary mainly by sea - the British needed up to a million tons of all kinds of materials, food, in order to survive and continue the fight . The price of the victory of the members of the anti-Hitler coalition in the Atlantic was huge and terrible - about 50,000 of its sailors died, the same number of German sailors lost their lives.
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This battle began after German troops at the end of World War II made a desperate (and, as history shows, the last) attempt to turn the tide of hostilities in their favor, organizing an offensive operation against the Anglo-American troops in the mountainous and wooded terrain in Belgium under the code called Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine). Despite all the experience of British and American strategists, the massive German attack caught the Allies by surprise. However, the offensive ultimately failed. Germany in this operation lost more than 100 thousand of its soldiers and officers killed, the Anglo-American allies - about 20 thousand soldiers killed.
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Marshal Zhukov wrote in his memoirs: "When they ask me what I remember most from the last war, I always answer: the battle for Moscow." Hitler considered the capture of Moscow, the capital of the USSR and the largest Soviet city, as one of the main military and political goals of Operation Barbarossa. It is known in German and Western military history as "Operation Typhoon". This battle is divided into two periods: defensive (September 30 - December 4, 1941) and offensive, which consists of 2 stages: the counteroffensive (December 5-6, 1941 - January 7-8, 1942) and the general offensive of the Soviet troops (January 7-10 - April 20, 1942). The losses of the USSR - 926.2 thousand people, the losses of Germany - 581 thousand people.
LANDING OF THE ALLIES IN NORMANDY, OPENING OF THE SECOND FRONT (FROM JUNE 6, 1944 TO JULY 24, 1944)
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This battle, which became part of Operation Overlord, marked the beginning of the deployment of the strategic grouping of the Anglo-American allied forces in Normandy (France). British, American, Canadian and French units took part in the invasion. The landing of the main forces from the Allied warships was preceded by a massive bombardment of German coastal fortifications and the landing of paratroopers and gliders on the positions of selected Wehrmacht units. Allied marines landed on five beaches. Considered one of the largest amphibious operations in history. Both sides lost over 200,000 of their troops.
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The last strategic offensive operation of the armed forces of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War turned out to be one of the bloodiest. It became possible as a result of a strategic breakthrough of the German front by units of the Red Army that carried out the Vistula-Oder offensive operation. It ended with a complete victory over Nazi Germany and the surrender of the Wehrmacht. During the battles for Berlin, the losses of our army amounted to more than 80 thousand soldiers and officers, the Nazis lost 450 thousand of their military personnel.
War is the worst thing that can happen in our life. This must not be forgotten.
Especially about those five battles. The amount of blood in which is amazing ...1. Battle of Stalingrad, 1942-1943
Opponents: Nazi Germany vs. the USSR
Losses: Germany 841,000; Soviet Union 1,130,000
Total: 1,971,000
Outcome: Victory of the USSR
The German advance began with a devastating series of Luftwaffe raids that left much of Stalingrad in ruins. But the bombing did not completely destroy the urban landscape. As they advanced, the German army became embroiled in fierce street fighting with the Soviet forces. Although the Germans took control of more than 90% of the city, the Wehrmacht forces were unable to dislodge the remaining stubborn Soviet soldiers from it.
The cold began, and in November 1942, the Red Army launched a double attack of the 6th German Army in Stalingrad. The flanks collapsed, and the 6th Army was surrounded, both by the Red Army and by the harsh Russian winter. Hunger, cold, and sporadic Soviet attacks began to take their toll. But Hitler did not allow the 6th Army to retreat. By February 1943, after an unsuccessful German attempt to break through when food supply lines were cut, the 6th Army was defeated.
2. Battle of Leipzig, 1813
Opponents: France vs. Russia, Austria and Prussia
Losses: 30,000 French, 54,000 allies
Total: 84000
Outcome: Victory of the Coalition Forces
The Battle of Leipzig was the largest and most powerful defeat suffered by Napoleon, and the largest battle in Europe before the outbreak of the First World War. Faced with attacks from all sides, the French army performed remarkably well, keeping the attackers at bay for more than nine hours before they were outnumbered.
Realizing the imminent defeat, Napoleon began to withdraw his troops in an orderly manner across the only remaining bridge. The bridge was blown up too soon. Over 20,000 French soldiers were thrown into the water and drowned while trying to cross the river. The defeat opened the doors to France for the allied forces.
3. Battle of Borodino, 1812
Opponents: Russia vs. France
Losses: Russians - 30,000 - 58,000; French - 40,000 - 58,000
Total: 70,000
Outcome: Various interpretations of the results
Borodino is considered the bloodiest one-day battle in history. Napoleon's army invaded the Russian Empire without declaring war. The rapid advance of the powerful French army forced the Russian command to retreat inland. Commander-in-Chief M.I. Kutuzov decided to give a general battle not far from Moscow, near the village of Borodino.
During this battle, every hour on the battlefield, about 6 thousand people died or were injured, according to the most conservative estimates. During the battle, the Russian army lost about 30% of its composition, the French - about 25%. In absolute numbers, this is about 60 thousand killed on both sides. But, according to some reports, up to 100 thousand people were killed during the battle and died later from wounds. Not a single one-day battle that took place before Borodino was so bloody.
Opponents: Britain vs. Germany
Casualties: Britain 60,000, Germany 8,000
Total: 68,000
Outcome: Inconclusive
The British Army experienced the bloodiest day in its history in the opening stages of a battle that would last for several months. More than a million people were killed as a result of the hostilities, and the original military tactical situation remained largely unchanged. The plan was to pulverize the German defenses with artillery bombardment to the point where the attacking British and French forces could simply move in and occupy the opposite trenches. But the shelling did not bring the expected devastating consequences.
As soon as the soldiers left the trenches, the Germans opened fire from machine guns. Poorly coordinated artillery often covered their own advancing infantry with fire or was often left without shelter. By nightfall, despite the massive loss of life, only a few targets were occupied. Attacks continued in this manner until October 1916.
5. Battle of Cannae, 216 BC
Opponents: Rome vs. Carthage
Losses: 10,000 Carthaginians, 50,000 Romans
Total: 60,000
Outcome: Carthaginian victory
The Carthaginian commander Hannibal led his army through the Alps and defeated two Roman armies on Trebia and Lake Trasimene, sought to involve the Romans in the last decisive battle. The Romans concentrated their heavy infantry in the center, hoping to break through the middle of the Carthaginian army. Hannibal, in anticipation of a central Roman attack, deployed his best troops on the flanks of his army.
As the center of the Carthaginian forces collapsed, the Carthaginian parties closed in on the Roman flanks. The mass of legionnaires in the back ranks forced the front ranks to march irresistibly forward, not knowing that they were driving themselves into a trap. Eventually, the Carthaginian cavalry arrived and closed the gap, thus completely encircling the Roman army. In close combat, the legionnaires, unable to flee, were forced to fight to the death. As a result of the battle, 50 thousand Roman citizens and two consuls were killed.
It is not easy to make a list of the most important battles in the history of World War 2. Every battle, every inch of land inhabited by the enemy brought the allies closer to victory over Nazism, no matter where the battle took place and how big it was. The feat of every war-liberator is equally priceless.
And yet, we tried to highlight the 10 largest and most significant battles of the Second World War, the outcome of which significantly influenced the further course of the war.
TOP 12 most powerful battles of World War II(list sorted chronologically):
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1. Battle of the Atlantic
(September 1, 1939 – May 1945)
USS Spencer. During World War II, he sank several German submarines. It was a convoy ship.And although this battle cannot be called the most massive and bloody, its significance was very high. For Germany, the purpose of this battle was to disrupt Allied communications in the Atlantic. First of all, to weaken the UK.
During the battles, the German fleet tried to sink all possible allied ships, from military to transport and food. The main weapon of Germany were submarines, they have successfully proven themselves from the very beginning of the battles. During World War II, Germany built more than a thousand submarines of various types, which dominated the Atlantic until the spring of 1943.
By this time, despite the colossal losses, the Allies still tried to improve the protection of their communications, as well as increase the number of anti-submarine forces. This made it possible to break the dominance of German troops in the waters of the Atlantic.
Already from the middle of 1944, the dominance of the Allies in the Atlantic was obvious. Germany was defeated not only on land, but also at sea. The opening of a second front forced the enemy to go on the defensive.
The losses of the parties during the Battle of the Atlantic differ in many sources. Germany alone lost more than 30,000 submariners and 789 submarines. On the other hand, 179 Allied warships and 2,828 ships were sunk by German forces.
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(May 10 - June 25, 1940)
This is a successful operation of the Axis of the Nazi bloc to take over the Benelux countries, as well as France, with the goal of complete dominance in Europe. German troops used the tactics of rapid warfare, during which, in a short period of time, with the help of a massive attack, the armies of Belgium, the Netherlands and France were completely defeated.
Allied losses during the French campaign amounted to more than 112 thousand killed, 245 thousand wounded and 1.5 prisoners. Wehrmacht troops lost about 45 thousand people killed and about 110 thousand people were injured.
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(July 9 - October 30, 1940)
It was an almost four-month battle for air supremacy between the Wehrmacht and the armed forces of Great Britain. The Germans pursued the goal of gaining air superiority over the British Isles in order to subsequently provide air cover for the bombing of British territory and the ground operation to invade Great Britain.
From the side of the Third Reich, the main forces were Messerschmitt (Messerschmitt) Bf.109E and Bf.110C fighters, which in many respects were superior to the British Hurricane Mk I and Spitfire Mk I. Nevertheless, the Germans failed this battle, losing about 3 thousands of its pilots. The British lost 1,800 pilots in the battle and about 120,000 islanders were killed in the bombardment. Also, at least 2 million buildings and structures were destroyed by German bombs.
The British victory in this battle strengthened the morale of the British soldiers and inspired the allies. By the end of the battle, the Germans realized that their plan had failed and redeployed their forces to the opened eastern direction - the USSR.
The Battle of the Somme is one of the largest battles of the First World War, with over 1,000,000 killed and wounded, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history. But, according to some reports, up to 100 thousand people were killed during the battle and died later from wounds. During it, every hour, about 6 thousand people died or were injured, according to the most conservative estimates.
Nazi Germany lost 841,000 soldiers in the battle. By the middle of the summer of 1942, the battles of the Great Patriotic War had reached the Volga. The German command also included Stalingrad in the plan for a large-scale offensive in the south of the USSR (Caucasus, Crimea). It included 13 divisions, where there were about 270,000 people, 3 thousand guns and about five hundred tanks.
From that day on, fascist aviation began to systematically bomb the city. On the ground, battles did not stop either. All houses were turned into fortresses. On September 12, 1942, at the height of the battles for the city, the General Staff began to develop the offensive operation "Uranus". It was planned by Marshal G.K. Zhukov. The plan was to hit the flanks of the German wedge, which was defended by the Allied troops (Italians, Romanians and Hungarians).
Having overturned Germany's allies, on November 23, Soviet troops closed the ring, surrounding 22 divisions numbering 330 thousand soldiers. Hitler rejected the retreat option and ordered the commander-in-chief of the 6th Army, Paulus, to start defensive battles in the encirclement.
4. The bloodiest one-day battle
Each side unsuccessfully tried to break through the enemy's defenses and launch a decisive offensive. 305,000 soldiers and officers from both sides lost their lives in a useless confrontation.
7. The most bloody sacking of the city
After a massive 8-hour artillery preparation, the German troops went on the offensive on the right bank of the Meuse River, but met stubborn resistance. The German infantry was advancing in tight battle formations. During the first day of the offensive, the German troops advanced 2 km and took the first position of the French. During the period from February 27 to March 6, about 190,000 soldiers and 25,000 tons of military cargo were delivered to Verdun by motor vehicles.
Only on the first day of the campaign, July 1, 1916, the English landing lost 60,000 people. German losses amounted to more than 465,000 people, of which 164,055 were killed and missing. The offensive plan on all fronts, including the Western one, was developed and approved as early as early March 1916 in Chantilly. As a result, the length of the front was reduced from 70 to 40 kilometers. Already a month after the start of the battle, the British and French lost so many soldiers that 9 additional divisions were brought into battle, while Germany transferred as many as 20 divisions to the Somme.
From October 16 to October 19, 1813, a battle took place near Leipzig between the armies of Napoleon I and the sovereigns united against him: Russian, Austrian, Prussian and Swedish. The forces of the latter were divided into three armies: the Bohemian (main), Silesian and northern, but only the first two of them participated in the battle on October 16. On October 17, both warring parties remained inactive, and only on the north side of Leipzig did a cavalry skirmish occur.
3. The most bloody creation of an empire
About one o'clock in the afternoon, the allied monarchs could already enter the city, in some parts of which fierce fighting was still in full swing. Due to a disastrous mistake for the French, the bridge on the Elster was blown up prematurely. But the new head of the Russian army also preferred to retreat: on the one hand, he wanted to wear down the enemy, on the other, Kutuzov was waiting for reinforcements to give a general battle. At 6 am, the French artillery opened fire on the entire front.
Ahead, the huntsmen also lined up in a cordon. The division of Major General Neverovsky took up positions behind the flushes. This area was attacked by the cavalry of Marshal Murat, the troops of Marshals Ney and Davout, and the corps of General Junot. The number of attackers reached 115 thousand people. The course of the Battle of Borodino after the repulsed attacks of the French at 6 and 7 o'clock continued with another attempt to take flushes on the left flank. However, subsequent attacks (at 8 and 9 in the morning) were, despite the incredible intensity of the fighting, completely unsuccessful.
At the same time, the one-day battles that took place in the 20th century were still less bloody than the Battle of Borodino.
Konovnitsin withdrew his troops to Semyonovskoye only after the holding of these fortifications ceased to be a necessity. The barrow height was attacked at the same time that the battle for the capture of flushes was in full swing on the left flank.
It can be considered that this was the first case in the history of the use of biological weapons.
Platov was able to reach the rear of the French (the Valuevo area), which suspended the offensive in the central direction. Uvarov made an equally successful maneuver in the Bezzubovo area. The battle of Borodino lasted all day and gradually began to subside only by 6 pm.
Galeas San Lorenzo, flagship of the Holy League, at the Battle of Lepanto. The Battle of Lepanto was the largest naval battle of the 16th century, involving more than 500 galleys. Photo taken from the archives of the National Maritime Museum Greenwich (London). During the Iran-Iraq war, chemical weapons were used. Over 8 years of hostilities, about 900 thousand people died, which makes this war one of the most brutal since World War II.
Perhaps the bloodiest battle took place on July 1, 1916 during the First World War. We talk about him and about six more bloody battles in history. On October 7, 1571, the bloodiest battle in the history of naval battles took place - the Battle of Lepanto between the Spanish-Venetian fleet and the fleet of the Ottoman Empire.
1. The bloodiest naval battle At Cape Scrofa in the Gulf of Patras near the Greek peninsula of the Peloponnese in 1571, two warring forces clashed: the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League - an alliance of Catholic states that existed in 1571-1573. It is noteworthy that the Holy League was created specifically for the purpose of fighting against Ottoman expansion. The coalition owned the most numerous European fleet, which consisted mainly of Venetian and Spanish galleys. In total, the fleet consisted of about 300 ships. On the morning of October 7, the enemies unexpectedly met 60 km from the Greek city of Lepanto (the current name of Nafpakt). The Spanish-Venetian fleet was the first to see the enemy and inflicted a crushing defeat on him. More than 500 ships participated in this battle on both sides. Presumably, the total number of those killed is about 30 thousand, of which 20 thousand belonged to the Turkish fleet. This battle marked a turning point in the history of Ottoman dominance in the Mediterranean. It turned out that the Turks, who were considered invincible, can be defeated. It also became an important event in the life of 24-year-old Miguel de Cervantes, who commanded a platoon of Spanish soldiers on the Marquis galley. During the battle, the future Spanish writer was wounded twice, and when he returned home, he was captured by Algerian pirates. The author of Don Quixote spent five years in slavery.
