June 21, 1941, 13:00. German troops receive the code signal "Dortmund", confirming that the invasion will begin the next day.
Commander of the 2nd Panzer Group, Army Group Center Heinz Guderian writes in his diary: “Careful observation of the Russians convinced me that they did not suspect anything about our intentions. In the courtyard of the fortress of Brest, which was visible from our observation posts, to the sounds of an orchestra, they were holding guards. Coastal fortifications along the Western Bug were not occupied by Russian troops.
21:00. Soldiers of the 90th border detachment of the Sokal commandant's office detained a German soldier who had crossed the border river Bug by swimming. The defector was sent to the headquarters of the detachment in the city of Vladimir-Volynsky.
23:00. German minelayers, who were in Finnish ports, began to mine the way out of the Gulf of Finland. At the same time, Finnish submarines began laying mines off the coast of Estonia.
June 22, 1941, 0:30. The defector was taken to Vladimir-Volynsky. During interrogation, the soldier named himself Alfred Liskov, servicemen of the 221st regiment of the 15th infantry division of the Wehrmacht. He reported that at dawn on June 22 the German army would go on the offensive along the entire length of the Soviet-German border. The information has been passed on to the higher command.
At the same time, the transfer of directive No. 1 of the People's Commissariat of Defense for parts of the western military districts begins from Moscow. “During June 22-23, 1941, a sudden attack by the Germans on the fronts of the LVO, PribOVO, ZapOVO, KOVO, OdVO is possible. The attack may begin with provocative actions,” the directive said. - "The task of our troops is not to succumb to any provocative actions that could cause major complications."
The units were ordered to be put on alert, covertly occupy the firing points of fortified areas on the state border, and aviation was dispersed over field airfields.
It is not possible to bring the directive to the military units before the start of hostilities, as a result of which the measures indicated in it are not carried out.
“I realized that it was the Germans who opened fire on our territory”
1:00. The commandants of the sections of the 90th border detachment report to the head of the detachment, Major Bychkovsky: "nothing suspicious was noticed on the adjacent side, everything is calm."
3:05 . A group of 14 German Ju-88 bombers drops 28 magnetic mines near the Kronstadt raid.
3:07. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky, reports to the Chief of the General Staff, General Zhukov: “The VNOS [airborne surveillance, warning and communications] system of the fleet reports on the approach from the sea of a large number of unknown aircraft; The fleet is on full alert.
3:10. The UNKGB in the Lvov region transmits by telephone to the NKGB of the Ukrainian SSR the information obtained during the interrogation of the defector Alfred Liskov.
Mobilization. Columns of fighters are moving to the front. Moscow, June 23, 1941. Anatoly Garanin/RIA Novosti
From the memoirs of the head of the 90th border detachment, Major Bychkovsky: “Not having finished interrogating the soldier, I heard strong artillery fire in the direction of Ustilug (the first commandant's office). I realized that it was the Germans who opened fire on our territory, which was immediately confirmed by the interrogated soldier. I immediately began to call the commandant by phone, but the connection was broken ... "
3:30. Chief of Staff of the Western District General Klimovsky reports on enemy air raids on the cities of Belarus: Brest, Grodno, Lida, Kobrin, Slonim, Baranovichi and others.
3:33. The chief of staff of the Kyiv district, General Purkaev, reports on air raids on the cities of Ukraine, including Kyiv.
3:40. Commander of the Baltic Military District General Kuznetsov reports on enemy air raids on Riga, Siauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas and other cities.
"Enemy raid repulsed. An attempt to strike our ships has been thwarted."
3:42. Chief of the General Staff Zhukov calls Stalin and announces the start of hostilities by Germany. Stalin orders Tymoshenko and Zhukov to arrive at the Kremlin, where an emergency meeting of the Politburo is being convened.
3:45. The 1st frontier post of the 86th Augustow border detachment was attacked by an enemy reconnaissance and sabotage group. Outpost personnel under command Alexandra Sivacheva, having joined the battle, destroys the attackers.
4:00. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky, reports to Zhukov: “The enemy raid has been repulsed. An attempt to strike our ships has been thwarted. But there is destruction in Sevastopol.”
4:05. The outposts of the 86th August Frontier Detachment, including the 1st Frontier Post of Senior Lieutenant Sivachev, are subjected to heavy artillery fire, after which the German offensive begins. The border guards, deprived of communication with the command, engage in battle with superior enemy forces.
4:10. The Western and Baltic Special Military Districts report the start of hostilities by German troops on land.
4:15. The Nazis open massive artillery fire on the Brest Fortress. As a result, warehouses were destroyed, communications were disrupted, and there were a large number of dead and wounded.
4:25. The 45th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht begins an attack on the Brest Fortress.
The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Residents of the capital on June 22, 1941 during the announcement on the radio of a government message about the perfidious attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union. Evgeny Khaldey/RIA Novosti
"Defending not individual countries, but ensuring the security of Europe"
4:30. A meeting of members of the Politburo begins in the Kremlin. Stalin expresses doubt that what happened is the beginning of the war and does not exclude the version of a German provocation. People's Commissar of Defense Timoshenko and Zhukov insist: this is war.
4:55. In the Brest Fortress, the Nazis manage to capture almost half of the territory. Further progress was stopped by a sudden counterattack by the Red Army.
5:00. German Ambassador to the USSR Count von Schulenburg presents the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR Molotov“Note from the German Foreign Ministry to the Soviet Government”, which states: “The German government cannot be indifferent to a serious threat on the eastern border, therefore the Führer ordered the German armed forces to remove this threat by all means.” An hour after the actual start of hostilities, Germany de jure declares war on the Soviet Union.
5:30. On German radio, the Reich Minister of Propaganda Goebbels read out an appeal Adolf Hitler to the German people in connection with the outbreak of war against the Soviet Union: “Now the hour has come when it is necessary to oppose this conspiracy of the Jewish-Anglo-Saxon warmongers and also the Jewish rulers of the Bolshevik center in Moscow ... what the world has only seen ... The task of this front is no longer the protection of individual countries, but the security of Europe and thereby the salvation of all.
7:00. Reich Minister for Foreign Ribbentrop begins a press conference at which he announces the start of hostilities against the USSR: "The German army invaded the territory of Bolshevik Russia!"
“The city is on fire, why aren’t you broadcasting anything on the radio?”
7:15. Stalin approves the directive on repulsing the attack of Nazi Germany: "The troops will attack the enemy forces with all their strength and means and destroy them in areas where they have violated the Soviet border." The transfer of "Directive No. 2" due to the violation by saboteurs of the communication lines in the western districts. Moscow does not have a clear picture of what is happening in the war zone.
9:30. It was decided that at noon Molotov, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, would address the Soviet people in connection with the outbreak of war.
10:00. From the memories of the announcer Yuri Levitan: “They call from Minsk: “Enemy planes are over the city”, they call from Kaunas: “The city is on fire, why are you not transmitting anything on the radio?”, “Enemy planes are over Kyiv.” Women's crying, excitement: “Is it really a war? ..” However, no official messages are transmitted until 12:00 Moscow time on June 22.
10:30. From the report of the headquarters of the 45th German division on the battles on the territory of the Brest Fortress: “The Russians are fiercely resisting, especially behind our attacking companies. In the citadel, the enemy organized defense with infantry units supported by 35-40 tanks and armored vehicles. The fire of enemy snipers led to heavy losses among officers and non-commissioned officers.
11:00. The Baltic, Western and Kyiv special military districts were transformed into the Northwestern, Western and Southwestern fronts.
“The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours"
12:00. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov read out an appeal to the citizens of the Soviet Union: "Today at 4 o'clock in the morning, without presenting any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed from our cities - Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others - with their own planes, more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Enemy aircraft raids and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory ... Now that the attack on the Soviet Union has already taken place, the Soviet government has given an order to our troops to repel the piratical attack and drive the German troops from the territory of our homeland ... The government calls on you, citizens and citizens of the Soviet Union, to rally their ranks still more closely around our glorious Bolshevik Party, around our Soviet government, around our great leader Comrade Stalin.
Our cause is right. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours".
12:30. Advanced German units break into the Belarusian city of Grodno.
13:00.
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issues a decree "On the mobilization of those liable for military service ..."
“On the basis of Article 49 of paragraph “o” of the Constitution of the USSR, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR announces mobilization on the territory of the military districts - Leningrad, Special Baltic, Western Special, Kyiv Special, Odessa, Kharkov, Oryol, Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Ural, Siberian, Volga, North - Caucasian and Transcaucasian.
Those liable for military service who were born from 1905 to 1918 inclusive are subject to mobilization. Consider June 23, 1941 as the first day of mobilization. Despite the fact that June 23 is named the first day of mobilization, recruiting offices at the military registration and enlistment offices begin to work by the middle of the day on June 22.
13:30. The Chief of the General Staff, General Zhukov, flies to Kyiv as a representative of the newly created Headquarters of the High Command on the Southwestern Front.
June 22, 1945 meeting of the Normandie-Niemen regiment at the Le Bourget airfield (France). From left to right: Engineer-Captain Nikolai Filippov, Major Pierre Matras, Engineer-Major Sergei Agavelyan, Captain De Saint-Marceau Gaston and others. The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. RIA Novosti/RIA Novosti
14:00. The Brest Fortress is completely surrounded by German troops. Soviet units blockaded in the citadel continue to offer fierce resistance.
14:05. Foreign Minister of Italy Galeazzo Ciano declares: “In view of the current situation, due to the fact that Germany has declared war on the USSR, Italy, as an ally of Germany and as a member of the Tripartite Pact, also declares war on the Soviet Union from the moment the German troops enter Soviet territory.”
14:10. The 1st frontier post of Alexander Sivachev has been fighting for more than 10 hours. The border guards, who had only small arms and grenades, destroyed up to 60 Nazis and burned three tanks. The wounded head of the outpost continued to command the battle.
15:00. From the notes of Field Marshal Commander of Army Group Center bokeh background: “The question of whether the Russians are carrying out a planned withdrawal is still open. There is now ample evidence both for and against this.
It is surprising that nowhere is any significant work of their artillery visible. Strong artillery fire is conducted only in the north-west of Grodno, where the VIII Army Corps is advancing. Apparently, our air force has an overwhelming superiority over Russian aviation.
Of the 485 frontier posts attacked, none retreated without an order.
16:00. After a 12-hour battle, the Nazis occupy the positions of the 1st frontier post. This became possible only after all the border guards who defended it died. The head of the outpost, Alexander Sivachev, was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class.
The feat of the outpost of Senior Lieutenant Sivachev became one of the hundreds accomplished by the border guards in the first hours and days of the war. The state border of the USSR from the Barents to the Black Sea on June 22, 1941 was guarded by 666 border outposts, 485 of them were attacked on the very first day of the war. None of the 485 outposts attacked on June 22 withdrew without orders.
The Nazi command took 20 minutes to break the resistance of the border guards. 257 Soviet frontier posts held the defense from several hours to one day. More than one day - 20, more than two days - 16, more than three days - 20, more than four and five days - 43, from seven to nine days - 4, more than eleven days - 51, more than twelve days - 55, more than 15 days - 51 outposts. Up to two months, 45 outposts fought.
06/22/1941 The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The working people of Leningrad listen to the message about the attack of fascist Germany on the Soviet Union. Boris Losin/RIA Novosti
Of the 19,600 border guards who met the Nazis on June 22 in the direction of the main attack of Army Group Center, more than 16,000 died in the first days of the war.
17:00. Hitler's units manage to occupy the southwestern part of the Brest Fortress, the northeast remained under the control of Soviet troops. Stubborn battles for the fortress will continue for another week.
"The Church of Christ blesses all Orthodox for the defense of the sacred borders of our Motherland"
18:00. The Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow and Kolomna, addresses the faithful with a message: “Fascist robbers have attacked our homeland. Trampling all sorts of treaties and promises, they suddenly fell upon us, and now the blood of peaceful citizens is already irrigating our native land ... Our Orthodox Church has always shared the fate of the people. Together with him, she carried trials, and consoled herself with his successes. She will not leave her people even now… The Church of Christ blesses all Orthodox to defend the sacred borders of our Motherland.”
19:00. From the notes of the Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht Ground Forces, Colonel General Franz Halder: “All the armies, except for the 11th Army of the Army Group South in Romania, went on the offensive according to the plan. The offensive of our troops, apparently, was a complete tactical surprise for the enemy on the entire front. The border bridges across the Bug and other rivers have been everywhere captured by our troops without a fight and in complete safety. The complete surprise of our offensive for the enemy is evidenced by the fact that the units were taken by surprise in the barracks, the planes stood at the airfields, covered with tarpaulin, and the advanced units, suddenly attacked by our troops, asked the command what to do ... The Air Force command reported, that today 850 enemy aircraft have been destroyed, including entire squadrons of bombers, which, having taken to the air without fighter cover, were attacked by our fighters and destroyed.
20:00. Directive No. 3 of the People's Commissariat of Defense was approved, ordering the Soviet troops to go on the counteroffensive with the task of defeating the Nazi troops on the territory of the USSR with further advancement into enemy territory. The directive prescribed by the end of June 24 to capture the Polish city of Lublin.
06/22/1941 The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 June 22, 1941 Nurses assist the first wounded after the Nazi air raid near Chisinau. Georgy Zelma/RIA Novosti
"We must give Russia and the Russian people all the help we can"
21:00. Summary of the High Command of the Red Army for June 22: “At dawn on June 22, 1941, the regular troops of the German army attacked our border units on the front from the Baltic to the Black Sea and were held back by them during the first half of the day. In the afternoon, the German troops met with the advanced units of the field troops of the Red Army. After fierce fighting, the enemy was repulsed with heavy losses. Only in the Grodno and Krystynopol directions did the enemy manage to achieve minor tactical successes and take the towns of Kalvaria, Stojanow and Tsekhanovets (the first two at 15 km and the last at 10 km from the border).
Enemy aviation attacked a number of our airfields and settlements, but everywhere they met with a decisive rebuff from our fighters and anti-aircraft artillery, which inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. We shot down 65 enemy planes."
23:00. Message from the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the British people in connection with the German attack on the USSR: “At 4 o’clock this morning, Hitler attacked Russia. All his usual formalities of treachery were observed with scrupulous precision ... suddenly, without a declaration of war, even without an ultimatum, German bombs fell from the sky on Russian cities, German troops violated Russian borders, and an hour later the German ambassador, who just the day before generously lavished his assurances to the Russians in friendship and almost an alliance, paid a visit to the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs and declared that Russia and Germany were in a state of war ...
No one has been a more staunch opponent of communism over the past 25 years than I have been. I will not take back a single word said about him. But all this pales before the spectacle unfolding now.
The past, with its crimes, follies and tragedies, recedes. I see Russian soldiers standing on the border of their native land and guarding the fields that their fathers have plowed since time immemorial. I see how they guard their homes; their mothers and wives pray - oh yes, because at such a time everyone prays for the preservation of their loved ones, for the return of the breadwinner, patron, their protectors ...
We must give Russia and the Russian people all the help we can. We must call on all our friends and allies in all parts of the world to follow a similar course and pursue it as steadfastly and steadily as we will, to the very end.
June 22 has come to an end. Ahead were another 1417 days of the most terrible war in the history of mankind.
After the abnormally cold winter of 1940-1941. An unusually warm summer has come to Moscow. Sunday, June 22, 1941 could be the most common day off for more than 200 million Soviet citizens. They would take movie tickets to the premiere of the long-awaited comedy "Hearts of Four" or the Dynamo-TsDKA match, take the children to a museum or zoo, invite friends and relatives home. If June 22, 1941, the most terrible war in the history of the people had not begun.
Location: Lviv region, Ukrainian SSR
At 21 o'clock on Saturday, June 21, soldiers of the border detachment of the Sokal commandant's office detained the German corporal Alfred Liskof, who had crossed the Bug River by swimming. The head of the 90th border detachment, Major Bychkovsky, kept memories of this event in his diaries: “The translators in the detachment were weak, and I ordered the commandant of the section, Captain Bershadsky, to deliver the soldier to the city of Vladimir-Volynsk to the headquarters of the detachment.
“At 00:30, in the presence of an interpreter, Liskof called himself a communist, a supporter of Soviet power, although he had served in the 221st sapper regiment in the village of Tselenzha since 1939 under the command of Lieutenant Schulz. The soldier stated that the Germans were preparing to attack the Soviet Union at dawn on June 22. I didn't want to believe what I heard."
Before finishing the interrogation, Bychkovsky heard in the direction of the first commandant's office. “I realized that the Germans opened volleys on our territory in the Ustiluga area, this was confirmed by the interrogated soldier,” he later wrote.
At the same time, the commander of the Kyiv district, Mikhail Kirponos, who served in Ternopil, reported to the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov about the appearance of another German soldier of the 222nd Infantry Regiment of the 74th Infantry Division on the border. And in 3 hours 07 minutes Filipp Oktyabrsky, commander of the Black Sea Fleet, called on HF, he said: “The air surveillance, warning and communication system of the fleet reports on the approach from the sea of a large number of unknown aircraft, the fleet is in full combat readiness. I ask for instructions." After 53 minutes, Oktyabrsky called again and reported in a calm tone: “The enemy raid has been repulsed. The attempt to strike the ships was thwarted, but there is destruction in the city, ”he wrote in his .
After this call, alarm messages began to arrive almost once every five minutes. At 03:30, General Vladimir Klimovskikh, Chief of Staff of the Western District, called, reporting an enemy air raid on the cities of Belarus, three minutes later Maksim Purkaev, Chief of Staff of the Kyiv District, reported about the raid on Ukraine, at 03:40 a call came from General Fyodor Kuznetsov, Commander of the Baltic District, who confirmed the attacks on Kaunas on the Neman.
At 04:30, Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov appeared with a report from the German embassy: "Ambassador Count von Schulenburg confirmed that the German government had declared war on us."
At the same time, Zhukov received an order from People's Commissar of Defense Semyon Timoshenko: to call the "Near Dacha" in Kuntsevo and report to Stalin about the start of hostilities. The answer came immediately: “Go to the Kremlin and warn Poskrebyvshev ( first head of the special sector of the Central Committee) to call all the members of the Politburo.” At the beginning of the fifth morning, a military Directive #1 ordering the troops of the Leningrad, Baltic, Western, Kyiv and Odessa military districts to be in full combat readiness, to meet a possible surprise attack by the Germans or their allies.
Directive of the Western Special Military District
I convey the order of the People's Commissariat of Defense for immediate execution: During June 22-23, 1941, a sudden attack by the Germans on the fronts of the LVO, PribOVO, ZAPOVO, KOVO, OdVO is possible. The attack may start with provocative actions.
The task of our troops is not to succumb to any provocative actions that could cause major complications..
I order:
- During the night of June 22, 1941, covertly occupy the firing points of fortified areas on the state border;
- Before dawn on June 22, 1941, disperse all aviation, including military aviation, over field airfields, carefully disguise it;
- All units put on alert. Troops to keep dispersed and camouflaged;
- Air defense put on combat readiness without additional lifting of assigned staff. Prepare all measures to darken cities and objects.
Until dawn, Bobruisk, Zhitomir, Riga, Libava, Vilnius, Grodno, Kobrin and many other border towns suffered from the bombings, the bombings were beaten off with heavy losses in Sevastopol. A bomb attack hit Kyiv and its suburbs: by 10 am, the railway station, the Bolshevik plant, military airfields, power plants and an aircraft factory were destroyed.
Photo: Ministry of Defense Russian Federation
On the night of June 21-22, the first battle of the Great Patriotic War, Belostok-Minsk, took place, as a result of which the main forces were surrounded and defeated. 11 infantry, 6 tank and 2 cavalry divisions fell in the Bialystok and Minsk "cauldrons", and on July 8, less than two weeks after the start of bloody shelling, the forces of the Third Reich captured Minsk.
Location: Brest Fortress, Byelorussian SSR
At 4 o'clock in the morning On June 22, heavy fire was opened on the barracks of the central part of the Brest Fortress, which took the garrison by surprise. The first attack by a heavy artillery battery ( in service was a 600-mm self-propelled mortar "Karl") by 4:40, the Wehrmacht troops occupied almost half of the fortress, destroyed the warehouses, damaged the water supply system, and interrupted communications. The surviving commanders were unable to penetrate the barracks due to too intense barrage fire in the central part of the fortress and at the entrance gate.
From the combat report on the actions of the 6th Infantry Division: “The Red Army men and junior commanders, without control from the middle commanders, dressed and undressed, left the fortress in groups and singly, overcame the bypass channel, the Mukhavets River and the rampart under artillery and machine-gun fire. As a result, by 9 a.m. the fortress was surrounded from the south-western side, the north-east was still under the control of the Soviet troops.
Location: Berlin, Germany
Greater German Radio has never in its history started its work as early as June 22, 1941.
At 05:30 am Reich Minister Joseph Goebbels addressed the inhabitants of the country, who read out an appeal: “The German people! There are 160 Russian divisions on our border today. Enemy pilots carelessly fly over it, having fun with it. Russian patrols invade the territory of the Reich, as if they feel themselves the masters of this territory. Our task is not to protect individual countries, but to ensure the security of Europe and the salvation of all. I have decided to place the fate and future of the German Reich and our people in the hands of German soldiers. May the Lord help us in this struggle!”
The voice of the Minister of Education and Propaganda was repeated at 07:00 Berlin time, then at 09:00 and 11:00 in the morning. In Moscow, official statements were delayed. Famous words: “Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours" Soviet citizens heard from Molotov's lips only in 12:15 according to the capital time.
In parallel with this, from 9 am in the Moscow studio, the famous announcer Yuri Levitan was also recording, reading an appeal to the people of the USSR. It was he who would later become the most recognizable voice of the Great Patriotic War.
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
From the appeal of Molotov: “Citizens and citizens of the Soviet Union! Today, at 4 o'clock in the morning, without presenting any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed our cities from their aircraft ... Not for the first time to our people you have to deal with an attacking arrogant enemy. Our people responded to Napoleon's campaign in Russia with the Patriotic War ... The same will happen with Hitler, who announced a new campaign against our country. The Red Army and all our people will wage a victorious Patriotic War for the Motherland, for honor, for freedom.
AT 13:00 , an hour after Molotov's appeal, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree "On the mobilization of those liable for military service", according to which on June 23 all men born from 1905 to 1918 inclusive were to join the ranks of the Red Army.
By 2 p.m., the Brest Fortress was completely surrounded by German troops, after an almost 8-hour battle, the 1st frontier post of Alexander Sivachev surrendered, 485 out of 666 Soviet outposts were captured, but not one of them retreated without an order. At 16:00, the directive of the People's Commissariat of Defense on the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops with the task of defeating the Nazi detachments on the territory of the USSR is scattered around the cities.
At the same time, ground troops are forbidden to cross the border, and aviation is ordered to strike at German territory to a depth of no more than 100-150 kilometers, but attack Koenigsberg and Memel. To 17:00 on the territory of the Soviet Union, Germany unleashed a blow of unprecedented power: more than four thousand tanks, 47 thousand guns and mortars, up to 190 divisions, five million infantrymen.
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Location: London, UK
AT 23:00 GMT on the BBC radio station, an appeal was issued by the Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill, who was one of the first to respond to the events in the USSR:
“Over the past 25 years, no one has been a more staunch opponent of communism than me. I will not take back a single word said about him, but all this pales before the spectacle that I see now. The past with its tragedies and crimes recedes. I see Russian soldiers, how they stand on the border of their native land and guard the fields that their fathers plowed from time immemorial... We must give Russia all the help we can, we will do this to the very end...».
Location: General Staff of the Red Army, Moscow
AT 00:00 the capital clock received the first report of the Great Patriotic War, confirming that at dawn on June 22, 1941, the regular troops of the German army attacked the border units on the fronts from the Baltic to the Black Seas and were held back by them during the first half of the day. After fierce fighting, the enemy was driven back, but in the Grodno and Krystynopol directions, the troops of fascist Germany still managed to achieve tactical success and occupy Kalvaria, Tsekhanovets and Stoyanuv 10-15 km away. from the border.
However, the officially announced data at that time were not entirely accurate, since the total losses of Soviet aviation in the first day of the war amounted to more than 1,100 aircraft. 485 border outposts were under siege, the village of Albinga in the Klaipeda region of Lithuania was brutally devastated. In total, about 16,000 people died on the first day of the war, and up to 25,000 were injured. Thus ended the first day of the Great Patriotic War. There were still 1417 days and nights of the most terrible war in the history of the Soviet people ahead.
1st day of the war
Hundreds of German planes are invading the cloudless skies of the USSR, carrying a deadly load on cities, villages and military installations. Enemy aircraft carry strikes to a depth of more than 400 km. Murmansk, Smolensk, Sevastopol, Minsk, Kyiv and other cities are subjected to massive raids.
Areas where troops are stationed, especially tank and motorized formations, bridges and railway junctions, headquarters and communication lines are subjected to fierce bombardment. Buildings, military depots are collapsing and burning, civilians and their defenders are dying.
Fascism came to us with war,
To rule the Russian land
And eradicate the Russian spirit,
Flood Russia with blood.
German tanks on the border with the USSR
Smolensk land burning from fascist bomb raids
German landing
Soviet rocket launchers reflect the attack of the Nazi invaders, June 22, 1941.
Machine gunners of the Red Army defend themselves during the German invasion of the USSR
Wehrmacht soldiers watch the burning village
People leave their villages
Fighting in the border area. Summer 1941
German technology on the march
Dead Soviet soldiers near the captured trenches
The first Russian prisoners
June 22, 1941. Sunday. This day will forever go down in history for the Soviet people as a day of tragedy, sorrow, the day the Great Patriotic War began.
At the same time . Nazi German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels reads Hitler's proclamation about the attack on the USSR on June 22, 1941. In it, he pays special attention to the preventive attack of the USSR.
In particular, it is alleged that the USSR allegedly sought to blow up Germany from the inside, preparing the seizure and Bolshevization of the Western European states, the invasion of the Balkans, the mastery of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles.
Nazi German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels reads Hitler's proclamation about the attack on the USSR on June 22, 1941
At the Nuremberg Trials, Fritsche, the former head of the German press and broadcasting, admits that he organized a massive campaign of anti-Soviet propaganda, trying to convince the public that it was not Germany but the USSR that was to blame for this war.
Hans Fritsche
Nazi Germany moved 190 divisions, over 4,000 tanks and self-propelled guns, over 47,000 guns and mortars, about 4,300 aircraft and up to 250 ships along the entire vast front from the Baltic to the Black Sea. The fate of not only our country, but the entire world civilization now depends on the outcome of this war.
Joseph Goebbels notes in his diary: “June 22, 1941 (Sunday): the attack on Russia will begin at 3.30 at night. It is not yet entirely clear to me whether the Führer's appeal will be read out over the radio immediately or only in the morning at 7 o'clock. We want to immediately, on the first day, read a warning on the radio about the sabotage groups of Russian paratroopers. A secret report from one of our agents emphatically warns of such planned attempts. The international community is trampling around in complete darkness. In addition, the West will soon receive relief.
The time for the announcement of the appeal has yet to be determined by the Führer and myself. I'm going to the Imperial Chancellery. The Fuhrer is taking a short car ride. He looks completely overtired. Upon his return, a discussion of the situation immediately begins. He prepared a new appeal to the people, which is slightly superior to the other - to the soldiers. I suggest a few minor changes. It's excellent and gets to the heart of the matter.
So, the offensive begins at 3.30. 160 completed divisions. The offensive line is 3,000 kilometers long. The largest concentration of troops in the world. As the hour of decision approaches, the Führer is more and more relieved of the terrible burden that weighed on him. He just thaws. It seems that all fatigue falls off him. We walk for 3 hours in his salon. I can once again glimpse into his inner world. We have no choice but to attack. This cancerous growth must be burned out with a red-hot iron. Stalin must fall. Dekanozov (then Soviet ambassador to Germany) again protested in Berlin against the violation of the border by our planes. He was given an evasive answer! The Duce will be brought up to speed on Sunday. In general terms, he is oriented during the last meeting at the Brenner Pass. We ourselves determine the trend of the struggle. It is unambiguous and clear. First of all, we are launching the argument that the ambivalent position of Russia has hitherto prevented the solution of the question of England. The Fuhrer values the Peace Party in England very highly. Otherwise, the incident with Hess would not have been completely hushed up so systematically.
After much hesitation, the reading of the appeal was scheduled for 5.30. By that time the Fuhrer will know how the offensive is going, and the people and the whole world should know about it. The fanfares were listened to for an hour. At the same time, we both settled on a short motive from a song by Horst Wessel. The Führer is very pleased with our work in this area. This concludes our preparations. He's been working on all this since July last year, and now the moment has come. Everything that can be done has been done. And now military happiness should decide everything ”(k. 89).
One of the first to take on an air strike is the main base Black Sea Fleet- Sevastopol. Enemy attempt to incapacitate by sudden raid warships and to mine the exit from the Northern Bay into the sea is disrupted by parts of the air defense of the city and the fleet. The enemy fails to damage the bases and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet.
At the same time, the enemy launched battles in the land theater. The aviation units of the districts did not have time to disperse and camouflage their aircraft and suffered heavy losses from sudden attacks by the enemy, who has air supremacy. The troops of the Soviet Army are deprived of reliable air cover (room 79).
On land, the enemy begins his offensive with powerful artillery preparation. It unleashes a flurry of fire on border outposts, unfinished fortifications, military camps, camps, communication centers and other objects all the way from the Baltic to the Black Sea. The unexpectedness of fire raids causes heavy losses of personnel and weapons and in some areas disrupts the organized deployment of divisions of the border districts.
8th and 11th armies of the Baltic Special Military District, 4th Army of the Western Special District; The 22nd Panzer Division, located in Brest, is losing several hundred people, over 100 tanks, more than half of its artillery and vehicles, stocks of shells and fuel from artillery fire and enemy air raids. The combat effectiveness of these troops, like many others, is becoming undermined.
All "Zer good!"
The border guards entered into an open battle with the enemy. Armed only with small arms, they courageously meet the enemy and fight to the death in battles with him. Outposts of the Augustovsky, Lomzhinsky, Brest, Vladimir-Volynsky, Przemyslsky, Rava-Russian, Kagulsky and other border detachments are distinguished by their stamina and heroism (room 79).
In the Augustow area, 32 border guards, led by the head of the outpost, Lieutenant V. M. Usov and political instructor A. G. Sharapov, beat off seven fierce enemy attacks in ten hours.
Usov Viktor Mikhailovich (12/22/1916 - 06/22/1941)
The border guards of the 4th frontier outpost under the command of senior lieutenant I. G. Tikhonov die the death of the brave in an unequal struggle, but do not leave a line on the Bug River.
At the 4th border outpost. 1941 From right to left: senior lieutenant Illarion Tikhonov - head of the 4th outpost, Mikhail Andreevich Zuykov - deputy head of the outpost for political affairs, Ivan Petrovich Belyaev - deputy political instructor
Fierce battles take place with the enemy of one of the outposts of the Vladimir-Volynsky border detachment, commanded by Lieutenant A.V. Lopatin, a valiant and selfless struggle of the outposts of senior lieutenant M.E. Maksimov, lieutenants P.K. Starovoitov, F.I. Gusev, A V. Sachkov, F. I. Kuzmin, A. S. Lukyanov, N. S. Slyusarev and many other border guards.
It is impossible to list all the famous and unknown border guard heroes who heroically defended their Motherland on the first day of the war.
Enemy troops also meet stubborn resistance along the line of fortified areas under construction. Where individual machine-gun and artillery battalions have time to occupy ready-made concrete structures, the enemy does not pass (room 79).
The garrison of the Brest Fortress, which consisted of a small part of the combat forces of the 6th and 42nd rifle divisions, the 33rd engineer regiment, the 9th outpost of the 17th border detachment (for almost a month) chained the 45th and part of the forces of the 31st th infantry division of the enemy and inflicts heavy losses on them.
Brest Fortress. 1941
German troops are fighting near the walls of the Brest Fortress, June 1941
German soldiers during the fighting. Brest
Here are the names of the heroes of the Brest Fortress - the leaders of the defense of Captain I.N. Zubachev and the regimental commissar E.M. Fomin, the communists Major P.M. Gavrilov, Captain V.V. Shablovsky, Lieutenant A.M. Matevosyan, S. S. Skripnik, A. A. Kostyakov, V. I. Bytko, K. F. Kasatkin and many, many others.
Ivan Nikolaevich Zubachev
Efim Moiseevich Fomin
Pyotr Mikhailovich Gavrilov
Vladimir Vasilievich Shablovsky
Andrey Mitrofanovich Kizhevatov
Samvel M. Matevosyan
The immortal feat of defense of Liepaja is performed by: the 67th Rifle Division under the command of Major General N. A. Dedayev, the personnel of the Liepaja Naval Base, led by Captain 1st Rank M. S. Klevensky, the border detachment under the command of Major V. I. Yakusheva, the workers of Liepaja, led by the secretaries of the Liepaja City Party Committee M. Buka and J. Zars.
Nikolai Alekseevich Dedaev
The immortal feat is performed by 23 soldiers of the 18th battalion, led by the communists junior lieutenants N. G. Zimin, P. P. Seleznev and foreman I. F. Rokhin. They reflect the fierce attacks of the numerically superior enemy. They die, having fulfilled their military duty.
Under exceptionally unfavorable conditions, our field troops engage in combat with the enemy. They advance to the deployment lines already weakened.
Many units, retreating, offer organized resistance to enemy troops. Artillerymen bravely beat off the attacks of German tanks. The 9th anti-tank brigade of Colonel N.I. Polyansky in the Siauliai region and the 1st anti-tank brigade of General K.S. Moskalenko in Ukraine (room 79) are fighting bravely and skillfully.
The first battles, the first tragic minutes...
For a person who was born in the second half of the twentieth century and lives at the beginning of the twenty-first, it is very difficult to imagine how we, the participants in the war, felt then, on June 22, 1941. But, thank God, there were also those who did not suffer the fate of the soldiers who died from the first bullet or were captured before the realization of what had happened came to them. Here is what they say about that tragic day.
Vladimir Ilyashenko, sergeant, machine gunner:
“The day before, on Saturday, we boys went to the Zarafshan River to fish. On Sunday we went back from fishing, satisfied with the catch, not knowing that the war had begun.
On the street next to ours, the guys we knew told us: "The USSR is at war with Germany, and you go fishing." We didn't believe at first. After all, we had a peace treaty with Germany, but when we came home, we heard the same thing from our parents. There had been talk of a possible German attack on the USSR before, but no one believed it.
Without even eating, we gathered in the yard to talk. We regretted not being able to fight. After all, the Germans will quickly be defeated. At that time we were fifteen or sixteen years old, and we were not yet subject to conscription into the army. We were all arch-patriotic.
“We need to go to the military registration and enlistment office and seek to be sent to the front,” these were our statements. But there were also objections. We doubted that we would be understood.”.
Enemy on the offensive
Gennady Kirkevich, military engineer:
“We took up positions on a hill near Dubossary. The hill was covered with a small forest, but the German aviation saw our positions and gave a tip to the German artillery. The fire was continuous and very strong. Moreover, Messerschmitts and Henkels were still firing at us from above. The planes were armed, in addition to machine guns, with howling sirens to influence the psyche. As the planes dived, sirens blared. For many of my fighters, this had a strong effect. I remember: distorted faces and bulging eyes. But I ordered them to lie face to the ground and wait for my signal to throw. One Tatar in particular could not calm down, I don’t remember his name, he screamed in horror. I had to poke him in the ass with a bayonet. At the right moment, we ran to another position. Artillery was supposed to come to help us, but the help was still insufficient. Finally, some artillery units and other military formations replaced us, and we began to retreat from Dubossary.
Messerschmitts BF 109
German bomber Heinkel He-111H
The HE-111 bomber was the basis of German bomber aviation in 1941.
Vladimir Vinogradov, foreman, infantryman:
“Three days before June 22, an order came to hang blankets on the windows for the night, to carry out blackouts and sleep in uniforms ... The personnel were given ammunition and gas masks. The command staff was transferred to the barracks position. On the evening of June 21, the regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Mkrtychev, called all the commanders and political workers together and once again stressed that no one should leave the unit: the most alarming reports were coming from the border, anything could happen. At 6 o'clock in the morning we were again alerted. As in previous days, we left the unit, not knowing that the war had already begun ... About an hour later in the direction of the city of Lutsk, where the headquarters of the 5th Army was located, we saw the first air battle in which a dozen and a half aircraft, ours and German. We looked through binoculars to see who had them, but it was difficult to distinguish which planes were ours and which were German. Several planes were shot down and fell down like burning candles. It was the first impression of the war. It became somehow creepy ... When we entered Lutsk, there was no other way, the city was already burning in many places. Moreover, houses were burning on both sides, cars were driving at high speed between burning houses ... On the same day, we destroyed the German landing force, which was trying to capture a bridge across a fairly wide river, and then moved further to the border, where we soon met with German field troops " .
The invasion of German soldiers in one of the villages
Victor Vargin, infantryman:
“The first day, June 22, I remember well. The day was sunny and clear. Our house stood on the outskirts of Hanko near some kind of battery, we also received food from there. I don’t know what kind of battery it was - long-range, or what? I had an appointment with a girl for 12 o'clock, and at one o'clock the start of the war was announced. Of course, the girl didn't come. It's just a fact, an interesting detail. And at six o'clock in the evening there was a raid on Hanko by German planes. I remember how now - the whole sky in white umbrellas of breaks. Pooh! Pooh! And I hear, slap! Slap! Fragments from anti-aircraft shells are falling.
Valentina Avanesova, candidate of pedagogical sciences:
“After the ball at the 439th school, graduates of the 10th grade on Sunday, June 22, decided to continue the joyful holiday in nature in Kuzminki. And I, having received the first job in my life as a pioneer leader of a factory pioneer camp, on June 22, 1941, at the Yaroslavl railway station, met my future wards with excitement. It was a wonderful day. The brass band of defense plant No. 252 played. Cheerful marches and songs created a festive atmosphere. In small groups, pioneers arrived at the station - the children of workers and employees of the plant. In white panama hats and shirts and red ties, cheerful and noisy, they gave the impression of truly happy children. I was in the "seventh heaven" from the consciousness of my future useful work with them. And suddenly something incomprehensible, disturbing began at the station. People were talking in anticipation of an important message on the radio. And it started. In tense silence, people listened to V. M. Molotov's speech on the radio. War! Nazi Germany attacked our country! And yet we went to the pioneer camp. Everyone in the train cars was silent - adults and children. I still feel this disturbing silence now, many decades later.”
People learned about the war
June 22, 1941. The Central Committee of the party convenes a meeting in the Kremlin, which is attended by the first secretaries of the district committees of the party of the capital. At the meeting, it was reported that the Central Committee of the party supported the patriotic movement of the working people of Moscow and Leningrad, who called for the creation of many thousands of people's militia on a voluntary basis. This decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks becomes known to all residents of the capital in a few hours.
12:15 pm June 22 . On behalf of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Soviet government, Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V. M. Molotov speaks on the radio with a statement in which he indicates that the attack of fascist Germany on the USSR was an unparalleled treachery in the history of civilized peoples. On behalf of the government, he calls on the Soviet people to repulse the aggressor and expresses firm confidence in victory over him (k. 4).
Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov (Scriabin)
The building of the Central Telegraph on Gorky Street, where in 1941 there was a studio of the Radio Committee, from which Molotov spoke
Residents of Moscow listen on the radio to a speech by V. M. Molotov about the German attack on the USSR
Yuri Levitan announces the beginning of the war on the radio
After V. M. Molotov's speech, crowded rallies are organized at enterprises and factories in Moscow, at which Muscovites swear to devote all their strength to defeating the enemy.
Rally at the Hammer and Sickle factory (Moscow, June 1941)
A rally at the Leningrad plant named after Kirov about the beginning of the war
A group of people, among whom was a sailor of the Baltic Fleet, carefully listens to Molotov's speech.
By that moment. Fierce fighting has been going on in the west of the country for six hours. German planes are bombing airfields, Wehrmacht soldiers enter towns and villages, killing and capturing thousands of Red Army soldiers. At this time, the garrison of the Brest Fortress is fighting in encirclement, suffering heavy losses. Many of its defenders, like thousands of other soldiers of the Red Army, die much earlier - in the first minutes of the war, when a hail of enemy artillery shells falls on the barracks.
The image of a soldier who died in the first battle, without firing a single shot, without even seeing his enemy, is a tragic image, personifying all those who were taken by surprise by the war - the French in the Ardennes in May 1940, the Poles on the island of Westerplatte, who On September 1, 1939, Americans were killed under shells from the battleship Schleswig-Holstein at the naval base at Pearl Harbor. With a huge number of Red Army soldiers on Sunday morning June 22, 1941, the same thing happened. They did not understand what was happening, and died under the bombs of German aircraft.
They, of course, knew that there would be a war. Everyone who served in the Red Army in the summer of 1941 spoke about this. All as one say that on the night of June 22, most of the military units stationed near the western state borders were put on high alert. Even a week before the start of the war, it was talked about almost openly, as something inevitable. And yet, the nature of a person is such that he will believe in the best to the last. So the Red Army soldiers believed in an almost unbelievable non-aggression pact, believed Stalin, who insisted that if a war happened, it would be only with little bloodshed on enemy territory, turned a blind eye to obvious preparations on the other side of the border, reports of intelligence officers, defectors, to common sense, finally. Such faith cannot be destroyed with one blow! The Red Army died in the first minutes of the war, not having time to realize that it would last for many years.
Or they survived ... Looking at the photographs of the soldiers who surrendered in June 1941, it is clear that they could not even really understand what had happened, they did not have time to get scared ...
Soviet soldiers (left) march into the German rear with their hands up, while a column of German soldiers heads to the front during the first days of hostilities between Germany and the USSR
First refugees
At the same time. In order to mobilize all the forces of the Soviet people to repulse the enemy, as well as to ensure public order and state security in the country, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopts a number of decrees: on the announcement of the mobilization of citizens from 1905–1918 from June 23. birth (the contingent born in 1919-1922 was in active military service) on the territory of 14 military districts; martial law is introduced in the Karelian-Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Belorussian, Ukrainian SSR, Crimean ASSR, Moscow, Moscow and a number of other regions of the Russian Federation.
DECREE OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME SOVIET OF THE USSR
On the mobilization of persons liable for military service in the Leningrad, Baltic special, Western special, Kyiv special, Odessa, Kharkov, Oryol, Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Ural, Siberian, Volga, North Caucasian and Transcaucasian military districts
On the basis of Article 49 of paragraph "l" of the Constitution of the USSR, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR announces mobilization on the territory of the military districts - Leningrad, Special Baltic, Western Special, Kyiv Special, Odessa, Kharkov, Oryol, Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Ural, Siberian, Volga, North Caucasian and Transcaucasian.
Those liable for military service who were born from 1905 to 1918 inclusive are subject to mobilization.
Chairman of the Presidium
of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR M. KALININ
Secretary of the Presidium
Supreme Council A. GORKIN
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council
on the mobilization of conscripts.
In accordance with the Decree "On martial law", all functions of state authorities in areas declared under martial law are transferred to military authorities - military councils of fronts, armies, military districts, and where they do not exist - to the command of military formations. At the same time, the regulation on military tribunals in areas declared under martial law and in areas of hostilities is being approved.
13.00 h. 22nd of June . The head of the local air defense (MPVO) of the city of Moscow, brigade commander S. A. Frolov, introduces a threatened situation in the capital in terms of air defense for the entire population, heads of enterprises, institutions and house managements of the city (k. 4).
14.00 h. 22nd of June. Huge queues form at the doors of the military enlistment offices, among which are 17-year-old children from many Moscow and Moscow region schools. Schoolchildren are denied mobilization to the front. The next day, they will again come to the military registration and enlistment office and will stand there until, finally, they are taken into the detachments of the people's militia.
Young workers, mobilized into the ranks of the Red Army, go to the location of their unit
Enrollment in volunteer people's squads also goes through the Komsomol. Basically, mobilization passes through the district committees of the Komsomol. Here, registration is carried out in military schools and special units of the Red Army (sabotage and reconnaissance detachments, guards mortar units, airborne troops, etc.), fighter detachments, air defense units and in the direction of Komsomol members for the construction of defensive structures (k. 3) .
The news of the creation of divisions of the people's militia quickly spreads around all the enterprises and institutions of Moscow. “Workers of the Republic of Kazakhstan, its secretaries,” recalls the former commissar of the headquarters of the 9th rifle division of the people's militia, Major Nekhaev, completely devoted themselves to the organization of their combat division. At the call of the party, old and young communists, regular and young workers, intellectuals and employees poured into the unit.
Hood. D. Moore
Enrollment in the Red Army at the factory
Workers of the Kirov Plant in Leningrad go to the front
June 22 at 6 p.m. On the territory of each district of Moscow and the Moscow region, recruiting centers are being created: one or two collection points for ordinary and junior commanding staff (each with a capacity for 1800 people a day. For example, in the Moskvoretsky district - in the Kalinin club (Dobryninskaya sq., 62) , one assembly point for the commanding staff (in the Kirovsky district - in the premises of school No. 514) and one or two acceptance points for vehicles (in the Moskvoretsky district - in the house of Gorvnutorg (Arbuzovsky lane). At the assembly points, the heads of the points receive personnel and political apparatus ( political instructors of teams, agitators, etc.).
At the same time, the recruitment of volunteers is carried out at the place of work, as well as at the place of residence for single volunteers. In this regard, a resident of the Kirovsky district, for example, who worked in the Kievsky district, turns out to be a fighter not of the division of his district, but of the division of the people's militia of the Kievsky district, etc. All these factors mentioned above will lead to great difficulties in clarifying the fate of the Moscow militias. In addition, the militias of a number of districts of Moscow, instead of divisions of the people's militia, are assigned to the personnel divisions of the Red Army (k. 3).
At the collection point in Moscow
Evening June 22 . In all church parishes, a “Message” is read from the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Sergius: “Let us remember the leaders of the Russian people ... Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, who sacrificed their souls for the people and the Motherland.”
From archival materials and documents of the current period
23 hours (GMT) June 22 . Prime Minister Winston Churchill addresses the citizens of Great Britain with the following words:
W. Churchill
“I see Russian soldiers standing on the threshold of their native land, guarding the fields that their fathers have cultivated since time immemorial. I see them guarding their homes, where their mothers and wives pray - yes, for there are times when everyone prays - for the safety of their loved ones, for the return of their breadwinner, their protector and support. I see tens of thousands of Russian villages, where the means of subsistence are torn from the ground with such difficulty, but where there are primordial human joys, where girls laugh and children play. I see how the vile Nazi war machine is approaching all this, with its dapper, rattling Prussian officers, with its skillful agents, who have just pacified and tied hand and foot a dozen countries. I also see a gray, well-drilled, obedient mass of ferocious Hun soldiers advancing like swarms of creeping locusts. I see German bombers and fighters in the sky, still scarred from the wounds inflicted on them by the British, rejoicing that they have found what they think is easier and surer prey. Behind all this noise and thunder, I see a bunch of villains who are planning, organizing and bringing this avalanche of disasters to humanity ... ".
When the late Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, a famous English commander of the 20th century, was asked to compile a list of military mistakes to avoid, at number one he wrote: “Invasion of Russia. It's always a bad idea." As if to confirm this and many other statements of various historical figures, including the "Iron Chancellor" of Germany, Otto von Bismarck, exactly three years after the German invasion of the USSR - on June 22, 1944 - the Soviet command launched Operation Bagration. Then historians will call this operation a "catastrophe" for the German army. By the way, they also called the German operation "Barbarossa" for the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union.
Hood. I. M. Toidze
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June 22, 1941 will forever remain in the history of our country as the day of the beginning of a bloody and cruel war. NTV tells what happened on that terrible morning and how the Great Patriotic War began.
Read below
June 21, 1941
13:00 (Berlin time) German troops received the signal "Dortmund", meaning that the offensive, as planned, would begin on 22 June.
In Germany, Colonel General Guderian checked the readiness of advanced combat units for the offensive: “... Careful observation of the Russians convinced me that they did not suspect anything about our intentions. In the courtyard of the fortress of Brest, which was visible from our observation posts, to the sounds of an orchestra, they were holding guards. Coastal fortifications along the Western Bug were not occupied by Russian troops.
21:30 In Moscow, a conversation took place between People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov and German Ambassador Schulenburg. Molotov protested in connection with the repeated violations of the borders of the USSR by German aircraft. The ambassador evaded the answer.
23:00 German minelayers, who were in Finnish ports, began to mine the way out of the Gulf of Finland. At the same time, Finnish submarines began laying mines off the coast of Estonia.
June 22, 1941
00:10 The border troops detained a defector from the German side, Alfred Liskov, who left the location of his unit and swam across the Bug. During interrogation, the detainee said that at about 4 am the German army would begin crossing the Bug.
01:00 Stalin summoned the Chief of the General Staff, Georgy Zhukov, and People's Commissar for Defense, Semyon Timoshenko, to the Kremlin. They reported Liskov's message. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov joins them. Zhukov and Timoshenko insist on issuing Directive No. 1.
01:45
Directive No. 1 was sent to the districts with the order to covertly occupy firing points on the border, not to succumb to provocations and put the troops on alert.
"one. During 2223.6.41, a sudden attack by the Germans on the fronts of the LVO, PribOVO, ZAPOVO, KOVO, OdVO is possible. The attack may start with provocative actions.
2. The task of our troops is not to succumb to any provocative actions that could cause major complications. At the same time, the troops of the Leningrad, Baltic, Western, Kyiv and Odessa military districts should be in full combat readiness to meet a possible surprise attack by the Germans or their allies.
3. I order:
a) during the night of June 22, 1941, covertly occupy the firing points of fortified areas on the state border;
b) before dawn on June 22, 1941, disperse all aviation, including military aviation, over field airfields, carefully disguise it;
c) put all units on combat readiness. Keep the troops dispersed and camouflaged;
d) put the air defense on alert without an additional rise in assigned staff. Prepare all measures to darken cities and objects;
e) no other activities are to be carried out without special instructions.
Timoshenko. Zhukov."
3:07 The first reports of artillery shelling began to arrive.
3:40 People's Commissar of Defense Semyon Timoshenko asks Zhukov to report to Stalin on the start of full-scale hostilities. At this time, the cities of Brest, Grodno, Lida, Kobrin, Slonim, Baranovichi, Bobruisk, Volkovysk, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sevastopol, Riga, Vindava, Libava, Shauliai, Kaunas, Vilnius and many others were bombed.
The Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet, Rear Admiral I. D. Eliseev, ordered to open fire on German aircraft that had invaded the airspace of the Soviet Union.
04:00 German troops went on the offensive. The Great Patriotic War began.
Photo: TASS
4:15 The defense of the Brest Fortress began.
4:30 The Western and Baltic districts reported on the start of large-scale hostilities by German troops on land. 4 million soldiers of Germany and allies invaded the border territory of the USSR. 3350 tanks, 7000 various guns and 2000 aircraft were involved in the battles.
4:55 Almost half of the Brest Fortress is occupied by German troops.
5:30 The German Foreign Ministry sent a note to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, in which it stated: “Bolshevik Moscow is ready to stab in the back of National Socialist Germany, which is fighting for existence. The German government cannot be indifferent to the serious threat on the eastern border. Therefore, the Fuhrer gave the order to the German armed forces to ward off this threat with all their might and means ... "
7:15 Directive No. 2 was sent to the western military districts of the Soviet Union, which ordered the USSR troops to destroy enemy forces in areas of violation of the border, as well as “to establish reconnaissance and combat aviation to establish the enemy’s aviation concentration sites and the grouping of his ground forces. With powerful strikes by bomber and attack aircraft, destroy aircraft at enemy airfields and bomb groupings of his ground forces ... "
9:30 Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Mikhail Kalinin signed decrees on the introduction of martial law in the country, on the formation of the Headquarters of the High Command, on military tribunals and general mobilization, to which all those liable for military service from 1905 to 1918 were born.
Photo: TASS
10:00 An air raid was carried out on Kyiv and its suburbs. The railway station, factories, power plants, military airfields and residential buildings were attacked.
12:00
The People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR made a speech on the radio. V. M. Molotov.
“... Today at 4 o’clock in the morning, without presenting any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed our cities from their aircraft Zhitomir, Kyiv, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others, and more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Enemy aircraft raids and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory ... Germany attacked the USSR, despite the peace-loving position of the Soviet Union, and that thereby fascist Germany is the attacking side ...
Now that the attack on the Soviet Union has already taken place, the Soviet government has given our troops an order to repulse the predatory attack and drive the German troops from the territory of our Motherland ... Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours".
After some time, the text of Molotov's speech was repeated by the famous announcer Yuri Levitan. Until now, there is an opinion that it was he who was the first to read a message on the radio about the beginning of the war.
12:30 German troops entered Grodno. Minsk, Kyiv and Sevastopol were subjected to repeated bombardments.
13:00
Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano said that Italy had declared war on the USSR:
“In view of the current situation, due to the fact that Germany has declared war on the USSR, Italy, as an ally of Germany and as a member of the Tripartite Pact, also declares war on the Soviet Union from the moment the German troops enter Soviet territory, that is, from 5.30 on June 22”
14:00 The Brest Fortress continued to hold the line. The German commanders decided that the fortress would be taken only by infantry, without tanks. It took no more than 8 hours to take it.
Photo: TASS / Valery Gende-Rote
15:00 German bomber pilots continue air raids. The Baltic strategic defensive operation of the North-Western Front of F. I. Kuznetsov and part of the forces of the Baltic Fleet began. At the same time, the Belarusian strategic defensive operation of the Western Front by D. G. Pavlov and the defensive operation in Western Ukraine of the South-Western Front began.
16:30 The Kremlin was abandoned by Beria, Molotov and Voroshilov. In the first days after the start of the war, no one else met with Stalin, and there was practically no connection with him. Stalin delivered a speech to the Soviet people only on July 3, 1941. Why this happened is still debated by historians.
18:30 One of the German commanders gives the order to "pull off their own forces" at the Brest Fortress. This was one of the first orders for the retreat of German troops.
Photo: TASS
19:00 The commander of the German army group "Center" gives the order to stop the execution of the first Soviet prisoners of war and create special camps for them.
21:15 Directive No. 3 was transferred to the western military districts of the Soviet Union. In it, People's Commissar of Defense Semyon Timoshenko orders the bombing of Koenigsberg and Danzig, as well as air strikes deep into Germany for 100-150 km.
23:00
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes a radio address in which he declares that Britain is ready to provide the USSR with all the help it can give.
“… We are determined to destroy Hitler and all traces of the Nazi regime. Nothing can turn us away from it, nothing. We will never negotiate, we will never enter into negotiations with Hitler or with any of his gang. We will fight him on land, we will fight him at sea, we will fight him in the air until, with God's help, we rid the earth of his very shadow and free the peoples from his yoke. Any person or state that fights against Nazism will receive our help. Any person or state that goes with Hitler, our enemies... This is our policy, this is our statement. It follows from this that we will give Russia and the Russian people all the help we can. We will appeal to all our friends and allies in all parts of the world with an appeal to follow the same course and carry it out as steadfastly and steadily to the end, as we will do it ... ".
23:50 The Main Military Council of the Red Army sent out a directive that ordered on June 23 to launch counterattacks on enemy forces.
June 23, 1941
00:00 In the night radio news, for the first time, a summary of the main command of the Red Army appeared: “At dawn on June 22, 1941, the regular troops of the German army attacked our border units on the front from the Baltic to the Black Sea and were held back by them during the first half of the day. In the afternoon, the German troops met with the advanced units of the field troops of the Red Army. After fierce fighting, the enemy was repulsed with heavy losses. Only in the Grodno and Krystynopol directions did the enemy manage to achieve minor tactical successes and take the towns of Kalvaria, Stojanow and Tsekhanovets (the first two at 15 km and the last at 10 km from the border). Enemy aviation attacked a number of our airfields and settlements, but everywhere they met with a decisive rebuff from our fighters and anti-aircraft artillery, which inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. We shot down 65 enemy planes."
Photo: TASS / Nikolai Surovtsev
It is known that on the first day of the war, German troops advanced along the entire border 50-60 km deep into the territory of the USSR. There were still almost 4 years of war ahead.
Victory will be ours: how the Great Patriotic War began
On Sunday, June 22, 1941, at dawn, the troops of fascist Germany, without declaring war, suddenly attacked the entire western border of the Soviet Union and bombed Soviet cities and military formations.
Operation Barbarossa - a plan for the invasion and capture of the USSR - was developed by German generals under the leadership of Paulus from July 21, 1940. The operation was based on the conduct of a "blitzkrieg" - "blitzkrieg". Hitler's strategists planned to defeat the Soviet Union in a short campaign and end the war by the autumn of 1941. They hoped to quickly capture the most important industrial and political centers and annex the entire European part of the Union to Germany. The rulers of fascist Germany were convinced of the fragility of the Soviet state and did not doubt a quick victory, reports polk.inter.ua.
And so, on June 22, 1941, at 3:00 am (Moscow time), German aviation invaded the airspace of the Soviet Union; fascist troops delivered a powerful artillery strike on the border fortified areas. Thousands of tons of deadly cargo fell on airfields, railways, naval bases, communication lines, depots of military equipment and ammunition, on sleeping Soviet cities. Riga, Kaunas, Vilnius, Grodno, Zhitomir, Kyiv, Sevastopol and many other cities were bombed by aviation; shelling of border fortifications and areas of deployment of Soviet troops near the border from the Baltic to the Black Sea was carried out. At 5-6 o'clock in the morning, German troops crossed the state border of the USSR and launched an offensive deep into the territory.
Kyiv began to be bombed at about 4 o'clock in the morning: factories, military airfields, bridges. During the first raid, 25 people were killed, 76 were injured. By 10 am, the railway station, the Bolshevik plant, military airfields, power plants and an aircraft factory were destroyed.
Hurricane artillery fire was opened on the Brest Fortress at dawn, taking the garrison by surprise. As a result, warehouses were destroyed, water pipes were damaged, communications were interrupted, and heavy losses were inflicted on the garrison. At 3:23 the assault began. Up to one and a half thousand infantry from three battalions of the 45th Infantry Division advanced directly on the fortress. By 2 p.m., the Brest Fortress was completely surrounded by German troops, after an almost 8-hour battle, the 1st frontier post of Alexander Sivachev surrendered, 485 out of 666 Soviet outposts were captured, but not one of them retreated without an order. Of the 19,600 border guards who met the Nazis on June 22 in the direction of the main attack of Army Group Center, more than 16,000 died in the first days of the war.
In the morning, German aviation dealt crushing blows to the air bases of the USSR. During the first hours of the war, 1200 aircraft were destroyed at 66 bases, most of them - more than 800 - right on the ground. At the same time, the first German aircraft was destroyed in an air battle in the first hour of the war.
In the meantime, at 12 o'clock, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V. Molotov speaks on Soviet radio with a speech about the beginning of the war: “Today at 4 o'clock in the morning, without presenting any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombarded our cities - Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Sevastopol, Kaunas and some others - from their planes, more than two hundred people were killed and wounded. Enemy aircraft raids and artillery shelling were also carried out from Romanian and Finnish territory ... Now that the attack on the Soviet Union has already taken place, the Soviet government has given an order to our troops - to repel the piratical attack and drive the German troops from the territory of our homeland ...
"Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours."
As early as 17:00, Germany launched an unprecedented blow into the territory of the Soviet Union: more than four thousand tanks, 47 thousand guns and mortars, up to 190 divisions, 5 million infantrymen. During the first day of the war, the Wehrmacht troops advanced along the entire border 50-60 km deep into the territory of the USSR.
Despite the most difficult conditions of hostilities, the defenders of the Fatherland from the very first days of the war showed courage and heroism. The retreat of the Soviet troops was accompanied by fierce battles.
Thus ended the first day of the Great Patriotic War. And there were still 1417 days and nights of the most terrible war in history ahead...