Eastern Front (World War II)
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The Eastern Front during World War II or the Great Patriotic War was where the Axis countries and the Soviet Union fought. It began in 1941 with Operation Barbarossa and ended in 1945 by the Soviet soldiers capturing Berlin. Both the Axis countries and the Soviet Union had many millions of soldiers, and both sides lost millions.
Romania, Italy and other Axis members joined the war, and Finland fought the Continuation War against the Soviet Union in cooperation with the bigger Axis war.
The Eastern Front is called the "Great Patriotic War" in Russia, and it is sometimes called the "Soviet-German War" in the West.
About four fifths of the Axis soldiers killed in World War II died on the Eastern Front. Even more millions of Soviet soldiers died. Many war crimes were committed by German troops. The Eastern Front was the most important conflict in Europe during World War II.
The winter of 1941-1942 began unusually early. It was not noted as being particularly bad by the Soviets, but the Germans were accustomed to warmer temperatures and so were ill-prepared. The Germans' equipment broke down in the cold, and some men were still wearing summer uniforms, which they stuffed with newspapers in an attempt to stay warm. Many German soldiers froze to death in the extreme cold.
The partly successful Operation Barbarossa was followed in 1942 by the failed "Fall Blau" (Case Blue), which was intended to take the Caucasus region and its oilfields. It ended with Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. In 1943 the Soviet Army won Battle of Kursk, the biggest battle among tanks in history.
A few years later, the Soviets pushed the German soldiers and invaded the German-occupied territories in Eastern Europe. The Soviets then invaded Germany itself and fought the Battle of Berlin, the final battle before Germany's surrender. And the soviets linked up with the western allies and the western front, Although the Soviets eventually repelled the Germans, the tremendous cost was five times as many Soviet deaths as Germans.
Main events
[change | change source]- 22 June 1941 - German invasion.
- 22-29 June 1941 - Defense of Brest Fortress.
- 2 October 1941 - 7 January 1942 - Battle of Moscow;
- 5 December 1941 - counterattack starting.
- 23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943 - Battle of Stalingrad.
- 5 July - 23 August 1943 - Battle of Kursk.
- 16 April - 2 May 1945 - Battle of Berlin.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Hungary voluntarily participated in the conflict until March 1944, when it submitted to German occupation. In October the same year, a puppet government was installed, which ensured Hungary's participation until the end of the conflict.
- ↑ Slovakia voluntarily participated in the conflict until August 1944, when it submitted to German occupation, which ensured Slovakia's participation until the end of the conflict.
- ↑ While the Croatian army stayed at the Balkans, Croatian volunteers served in German and Italian legions, with the first being a unit of the Croatian army de jure; Croatian Air Force pilots operated as part of the German Air Force.
- ↑ Although Spain officially remained neutral, it provided support to Germany through supplement of essential materials (see Wolfram Crisis) and recruitment of volunteers at the Eastern Front (Blue Division and Blue Squadron); see Spain during World War II
- ↑ The so-called "Anders' Army" (under Władysław Anders), composed of Poles in the USSR and loyal to the London-based Polish government-in-exile, was formed in the early stages of the war, but shortly thereafter moved to the West through Iran. After diplomatic relations between the Polish government and the Soviet Union broke down in 1943, a pro-communist Polish division was formed, which would grow into the First and later Second Polish Armies that fought as part of the Soviet Red Army. Political leadership came from the Polish Committee of National Liberation, which evolved into a Provisional Government rivaling the one in London.
- ↑ A battalion composed of Czechs and Slovaks in the Soviet Union (refugees, defectors, part of the ethnic minority in the USSR) was established in 1942 and would eventually grow to a Czechoslovak Army Corps, loyal to the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in London, which fought as part of the Red Army.
- ↑ In 1943, the USSR recognized the National Committee for the Liberation of Yugoslavia and began forming Yugoslav units of the Red Army which began operating in 1944;[1] the Yugoslav Partisans and the Red Army held joint operations as the latter entered the territory of Yugoslavia
- ↑ By the beginning of 1945, Hungary had had two rivalling governments, the Hungarist puppet government in the Nazi-occupied territory, and the Debrecen government in the Soviet-occupied territory; in January 1945, the USSR began forming small Hungarian volunteer units loyal to the Debrecen government, the largest of which was the Volunteer Regiment of Buda.[2][3]
- ↑ Support provided through Lend-Lease and Arctic convoys
- ↑ Support provided through Arctic convoys, as well as by the presence of No. 151 Wing RAF (with No. 81 Squadron RAF and No. 134 Squadron RAF) on the Eastern Front.
- ↑ see Mongolia in World War II
- ↑ see Tuva in World War II
- ↑ Support provided by the presence of Fighter Squadron 2/30 Normandie-Niemen as part of 1st Air Army on the Eastern Front.
- ↑ As part of the Allied victory in the European theatre of World War II
- ↑ Иностранные войска, созданные Советским Союзом для борьбы с нацизмом (in Russian). Центрполиграф. 2024. ISBN 9785046032826.
- ↑ Gosztony, Peter. Stalins Fremde Heere, Bernard & Graefe Verlag, 1991. ISBN 3-7637-5889-5
- ↑ Cite error: The named reference
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