World record Soviet tanker, the forgotten Victory Day in Astrakhan and two camels in Berlin
the Great Patriotic war began on 22 June 1941. It lasted 3 years, 10 months and 18 days or 1,418 days and nights. But the longest battle of the great Patriotic war, the battle for Leningrad lasted for 1126 days. Of these, the blockade of the city had gone 871 days.
a record number of people in total participated in the battle of Moscow (30 September 1941 — 20 April 1942). For comparison, in the Berlin operation, which is included in the Guinness Book of records as the biggest battle of the war involved 4 million people.
After the war Stalin called “official” number of deaths during the fighting of 7 million people. Real estimates of the victim populations began only in the late 80-ies, but until now the question about the real number of victims remains open. According to current data of the Ministry of defence of the Russian Federation, during the great Patriotic war the total human losses of the USSR amounted to about 26.6 million people, of which about 12 million soldiers. Thus in unofficial sources the death toll during the war reached 43 million people.
According to official figures, material losses of the USSR from the war in total amounted to more than 2.5 trillion rubles in prewar prices. It is about 30% of the national wealth of the Soviet Union and in areas under occupation, is about 65%. During the years of the great Patriotic war 1,710 towns and 70 thousand villages and villages were completely destroyed.
Among them were the Marshals of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov and Ivan Konev. A large part of the awards were given in the first three years after the war, and to her, the soldier could in his military unit, and after demobilization in the military Commissariat at the place of residence.
Later, relatives were allowed to leave the medal “For the capture of Berlin” in her memory.
July 17, 1944 on the streets of Moscow have been about 57 thousand German soldiers and officers. March of the prisoners of the Germans received the name “Parade of losers”. The prisoners were divided into ranks: the head of the column were two dozen generals of the Wehrmacht behind them are officers from Colonel and below, then — warrant officers and finally the ordinary soldiers. Prisoners were from the Moscow Hippodrome in the city centre, where the column was divided, and two parts of it went on the garden ring in opposite directions. By the way, 35 years later, in 1979, in “Song about the end of the war,” Vladimir Vysotsky mentioned the parade line: “From the Windows of the prisoners looked down on Moscow”.
the First celebration of Victory Day on 9 may 1945, was ambitious, but not comparable with the current. And now become a traditional Victory Parade was held on red square on 24 June 1945. Before 1947 may 9 was a day off and accompanied by concerts and fireworks. However, after the celebration of the Victory Day was canceled, and for 17 years, this day was a normal working.
For decades after the Victory of the Soviet Union was formally at war with Germany. The fact is, that in accepting the surrender of the German command, the Soviet Union decided to sign a peace agreement with the enemy and therefore remained with Germany at war. Only on January 25, 1955, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree “On termination of state of war between the Soviet Union and Germany”.
the Famous announcer Yuri Levitan became one of the symbols of the great Patriotic war. His voice raised the morale of the Soviet people that categorically did not suit the Nazi elite, so much so that the head of the speaker was promised a reward of 250 thousand marks (according to others, 100 thousand marks). The Soviet government actively guarded Levitan and missed the media misinformation about the external appearance of the speaker.
a Unique record of the great Patriotic put the crew of Lieutenant Zenobia Kolobanova on a tank “KV” of the 1st armored division. Roth Lieutenant Kolobanova, consisting of 5 tanks had to block three roads to Leningrad that was from Luga, Volosovo and Kingisepp. Within 30 minutes after the start of the battle, the Germans lost 43 tanks, and 22 of them personally destroyed tankers tank Kolobanova. His feat entered into the Guinness Book of records as the most successful tank battle in the history of wars.
the Role of women on the battlefield in the great Patriotic war was enormous. During the war years at the front with arms in hand fought from 600 thousand to 1 million women, 80 thousand of them were officers. From female volunteers was formed by the air regiments, infantry and intelligence brigade, the women’s company of sailors. The award “hero of the Soviet Union” during the war received 87 women.
Children also fought for their country. For the military achievements of tens of thousands of children were awarded orders and medals, five of them received the award “hero of the Soviet Union”: 14-year-old Lyonya Golikov and Sasha Chekalin, and 15-year-old Marat Kazei, ShaftI Kotik, and Zina Portnova. Since children were mostly partisans, reconnaissance, their fate was tragic: a young war veterans died in battle or were executed by the Germans, and therefore were awarded posthumously.
the Animal also played an important role in the great Patriotic war. all-time war service on the different fronts were more than 60 thousand dogs. They destroyed enemy trains, blew up more than 300 armored vehicles of the enemy and brought more than 200 reports. bomb-sniffing Dogs helped to clear more than 300 settlements. In addition, dogs helped to quickly bring the wounded from the battlefield to the hospital. The dog Dzhul’bars was the only dog honored with military awards: the medal “For military merit” (for military service, he found 7468 mines and more than 150 shells). A wounded dog even participated in the Victory Parade in Moscow June 24 1945.
28-backup the Soviet army, formed in Astrakhan, during the battle of Stalingrad, fought with the camels, who helped to transport guns and food. To catch and tame wild animals, Soviet soldiers had due acute shortage of vehicles and horses. The most famous camels, the Bear and Masha came with the soldiers to Berlin after the Victory stayed there at the local zoo.
Cats during the war lived in the trenches and fought the rats and mice. But the special role they played in the history of the siege of Leningrad. In 1943, after the breakthrough of the blockade, along with food and other necessary items, the city brought 4 cars striped cats from Yaroslavl. After years of famine, the Leningrad had been infested with rats, which people it was impossible to handle, but it was the power of cats. In 1945 the city brought about 5 thousand cats, but from Siberia. In the modern St. Petersburg mustachioed assistants are monuments, and in Tyumen in 2008 in memory of the cats who saved the besieged Leningrad from rats, was opened “the Siberian cats Square”.
