The bloodiest battles of World War II. The most terrible battle in the history of mankind: the opinion of historians. Last German offensive
75 years ago, on August 23, 1943, the victory of the Red Army ended Battle of Kursk, which lasted almost 50 days. Losses Soviet troops are estimated at 863.3 thousand people. About this and other major battles and operations of 1941-1945 - in the material.
Battle for Moscow
Soviet casualties: 1.8 million people. Losses of German troops and allies: 457.1 thousand people
At the defensive stage, which lasted until December 5, 1941, Soviet troops stopped the advance of the main German group, Army Group Center, and thwarted the plan for the lightning capture of the Soviet Union. A mass evacuation was carried out, and about 200 factories were relocated.
During the counteroffensive (December 5, 1941 - January 7, 1942), the Red Army inflicted its first defeat on the Germans and seized the strategic initiative. During the offensive, which lasted until April 20, 1942, Soviet troops advanced 250 km from Moscow and enveloped the German group on both sides.
16 were put out of action German divisions and one brigade. The German troops were able to avoid complete defeat only as a result of the transfer of 12 divisions and two security brigades from Western Europe.
Soviet casualties: 1.1 million people. Losses of German troops and allies: 850 thousand people
It consisted of defensive (from July 17 to November 18) and offensive (from November 18, 1942 to February 2, 1943) stages. By the end of August, over 100 thousand residents were evacuated from the city. Before the offensive, German troops carried out massive air bombardment, turning the city center into ruins.
On September 13, the Germans entered Stalingrad and by the end of the defensive phase they managed to break into five districts of the city, and completely capture one. Based on the results of the offensive stage, the Red Army managed to push the enemy back from the Volga and Don by 200 km.
Soviet troops destroyed 34 German divisions and three brigades. The victory at Stalingrad marked the beginning of a radical change in the war. In this confrontation, the Red Army seized the strategic initiative and held it until the end of the war.
Battle of the Dnieper
Soviet casualties: 1.2 million people. Losses of German troops and allies: 400 thousand people
Consisted of two offensive operations. At the first stage (until September 26), Soviet troops broke through the enemy’s defenses, liberated part of the territory of Ukraine and a number of major cities- Sumy, Chernigov, Poltava. During the second operation (from September 26 to December 20), the Dnieper was crossed and Kyiv was liberated.
Soviet troops completed the liberation of Left Bank Ukraine in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, blocked the Crimean group of German troops from land and captured a bridgehead on the western bank of the Dnieper up to 400 km along the front and up to 100 km in depth, creating favorable conditions for an attack on Right Bank Ukraine.
The most difficult part of the operation was the crossing of the Dnieper, which, due to the lack of the required number of standard watercraft, was carried out using improvised objects - rafts made of logs, fishing boats, etc.
Battle of Kursk
Losses of Soviet troops: 863.3 thousand people. Losses of German troops and allies: 500 thousand people
From July 5 to July 23, troops of the Central and Voronezh Fronts stopped the offensive of the strike groups German army. For the first time during the war, the depth of frontal defense reached 70 km, tank defense - 35 km. On July 12, the largest tank battle in history took place in the Prokhorovka area, during which up to 1.5 thousand tanks clashed on both sides.
During the counteroffensive (July 12 - August 18), Soviet troops advanced 150 km, liberating Oryol. During the subsequent offensive (from August 3 to August 23), they advanced another 140 km, defeating the Belgorod-Kharkov enemy group.
Soviet troops defeated 30 enemy infantry and seven tank divisions and liberated the Kharkov industrial region, the cities of Belgorod and Kharkov. Favorable conditions were created for the liberation of Left Bank Ukraine.
Offensive on Right Bank Ukraine
Soviet casualties: 1.1 million people. Losses of German troops and allies: 250 thousand people
It was a system of ten front-line operations, interconnected in time and direction of attacks. The width of the front was almost 1.4 thousand km. As a result of the operation, the defeat of the entire southern wing was completed eastern front Germany, the German command was forced to transfer 34 divisions and four brigades from the western front.
Soviet troops advanced 450 km, reached the foothills of the Carpathians and cut the German front in the south. The Red Army liberated the territory of Right Bank Ukraine and advanced to the approaches to Southern Poland and Czechoslovakia.
During the offensive, Soviet troops crossed such large water obstacles as Ingulets, Southern Bug, and Dniester. Having crossed the Prut River, the Red Army entered Romania. For the first time during the war years fighting were moved outside the Soviet Union.
Operation Bagration
Losses of Soviet troops: 765.8 thousand people. Losses of German troops and allies: 409 thousand people
At the first stage (June 23 - July 4), Soviet troops broke through the strategic front of the German defense, surrounded and destroyed the flank groups. At the second stage (July 5 - August 29), Army Group Center was completely defeated, destroying 17 divisions and three brigades.
50 German divisions lost more than half of their strength. Soviet troops advanced in a zone of 1.1 thousand km along the front and advanced 600 km. The Byelorussian SSR, parts of the Lithuanian and Latvian SSR, and the eastern regions of Poland were liberated.
Conditions were provided for striking in East Prussia and in the Lvov-Sandomierz direction. Army Group Center found itself isolated in the Baltic states. To stabilize the front line, the German command was forced to transfer 46 divisions and four brigades to Belarus.
East Prussian operation
Losses of Soviet troops: 584.7 thousand people. Losses of German troops and allies: 487.3 thousand people
Carried out by troops of three fronts, long-range aviation and the Baltic Fleet. During the operation, Soviet troops liberated East Prussia and Northern Poland, reached the Baltic Sea. The Red Army defeated 25 German divisions, and 12 divisions suffered heavy losses.
Much time was spent destroying isolated German groups, since the fleet was unable to completely blockade them from the sea. Navy Germany lost its most important bases, ports and harbors, which sharply worsened the supply of the German Courland group.
In the battles for Königsberg on April 6–9, the French air regiment “Normandy-Niemen” of the anti-fascist organization “Free France” fought on the side of the Soviet troops. During the operation, favorable conditions were created for the elimination of the East Pomeranian group.
Battle of Smolensk
Losses of Soviet troops: 759.9 thousand people. Losses of German troops and allies: 250 thousand people
At the first stage (until July 20), the Germans were able to significantly advance across the territory of the USSR. At the second stage (July 21 - August 22), Soviet troops carried out a counteroffensive, as a result of which the Germans suffered heavy losses and went on the defensive.
In the final stage of the battle (from August 22), Soviet troops attempted to carry out a large offensive, but they managed to advance only a few kilometers, after which they went on the defensive and were forced to retreat. In the Battle of Smolensk, the Red Army used rocket launchers for the first time.
During the battle, Soviet troops thwarted the German command's plan for a non-stop attack on Moscow - a blitzkrieg. Following the results of the Battle of Smolensk, several divisions were awarded the title of Guards for the first time by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR.
Battle for the Caucasus
Losses of Soviet troops: 593.9 thousand people. Losses of German troops and allies: 281 thousand people
During the defensive stage (July 25 - December 31, 1942), Soviet troops left the regions of the North Caucasus and retreated to the passes of the Main Caucasus Range and the Terek River (the Red Army retreated 800 km). However, the plan of the German command to seize the oil regions of the Caucasus and drag Turkey into the war against the USSR was not realized.
During the counteroffensive that followed (January 1 - February 4, 1943), Soviet troops defeated the German Army Group A and reached the approaches to Rostov and the Kuban River line. However, they were unable to destroy the German group.
At the final stage, Soviet troops were liberated from occupation Stavropol region, Checheno-Ingush, North Ossetian and Kabardino-Balkarian ASSR, Rostov region and Krasnodar region, reached the coast of the Kerch Strait.
Battle of Kiev
Losses of Soviet troops: 700.5 thousand people. Losses of German troops and allies: 128.6 thousand people
During the fighting, Soviet troops abandoned Kyiv and a number of regions of Left Bank Ukraine. The troops of the Southern Front between the Dniester and Southern Bug rivers were surrounded by German troops and destroyed. Soviet troops launched counterattacks, but were unable to seize the strategic initiative.
In open battle, the Germans were never able to capture the city, but as a result of offensive operations and the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Kyiv, they advanced 600 km across the territory of the Soviet Union.
The long-term defense of the troops of the Southwestern Front and the large losses of the German Army Group South forced the German command to strengthen this group with the troops of Army Group Center advancing in the main Moscow direction, which contributed to the breakdown of the blitzkrieg. The defeat of the Southwestern Front opened the way for the enemy to Donbass.
Some facts about the Great Patriotic War are becoming known only in our days. In the Tver region, historians and local historians claim: the battles for Rzhev, called “battles of local significance” in official documents, were in fact one of the largest operations in the entire history of the war. This is confirmed by the results of excavations.
The ground here is literally strewn with the remains of soldiers. A section of the front three hundred kilometers long is like a huge mass grave. And 62 years later, search engines find dozens of dead here almost every day. “Very close by, in this small forest, we raised 84 fighters. Three chains of fighters. That is, in ranks, as they walked, they remained lying,” says Tatyana Kukharenko, head of the Ugra search detachment.
Findings by search engines in the Tver region may serve as a basis for taking a different look at the history of the Great Patriotic War. Excavations show that the scale of the battles for Rzhev was much greater than previously thought. The battles that took place on these fields in 1942-1943 are listed in the archives as “battles of local significance.” And now both search engines and historians agree that, in fact, this was the second battle for Moscow. And the bloodiest in the history of mankind. For 17 months, Soviet troops continuously attacked, trying to push the Nazis further to the West. Almost one and a half million of our soldiers paid for the victory, here near Rzhev. This is more than in the battles for Stalingrad.
Official military history science in Soviet times could not accept such a version. Our offensive was unsuccessful, and failures were not recognized as heroism. In textbooks, even such a name - the Battle of Rzhev - still does not exist.
The liberators of Rzhev, less than two dozen of them remain in the city itself, do not agree with this. Nurse Faina Sobolevskaya - she was 17 years old in 1942 - never saw so many wounded again: “We didn’t have to sleep. When the fighting was going on, we didn’t sleep at all. We fell off our feet, until we lost consciousness. The wounded are countless. We have forests There weren’t enough tents, but also dugouts and sheds.”
Scientists will argue for a long time about the scale of losses. At the Rzhev memorial complex, meanwhile, thousands of soldiers are buried every year. “There must be an understanding that these are not bones after all, but these are people whom relatives are still looking for,” says the head of the Rzhev city public organization"Search Center" Sergey Petukhov.
Most of those killed near Rzhev are nameless. But today searchers found a medallion, the inscription on which they were able to read. Red Army soldier Fedot Pchelkin was in some ways luckier than his colleagues - now the Kursk region will be informed that in 1942 he did not go missing, but died with a weapon in his hands.
War is the worst thing that can happen in our lives. This must not be forgotten.
Especially about these five battles. The amount of blood in them is amazing...1. Battle of Stalingrad, 1942-1943
Opponents: Nazi Germany vs. USSR
Losses: Germany 841,000; Soviet Union 1 130 000
Total: 1,971,000
Result: Victory of the USSR
The German offensive 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 brutal street fighting with Soviet forces. Although the Germans took control of more than 90% of the city, Wehrmacht forces were unable to dislodge the remaining stubborn Soviet soldiers.
Cold weather set in, and in November 1942 the Red Army launched a double attack on the German 6th 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 attacks by Soviet troops began to take their toll. But Hitler did not allow the 6th Army to retreat. By February 1943, after a failed German breakout when food supply lines were cut, the 6th Army was defeated.
2. Battle of Leipzig, 1813
Opponents: France vs. Russia, Austria and Prussia
Casualties: 30,000 French, 54,000 Allied
Total: 84000
Result: Victory of the Coalition forces
The Battle of Leipzig was the largest and most severe 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 surprisingly well, keeping their attackers at bay for over nine hours before they began to be outnumbered.
Realizing his inevitable defeat, Napoleon began to withdraw his troops in an orderly manner across the only remaining bridge. The bridge was blown up too early. More than 20,000 French soldiers were thrown into the water and drowned while trying to cross the river. The defeat opened the door to France for 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
Result: Different interpretations of the results
Borodino is considered the bloodiest one-day battle in history. Napoleon's army invaded without declaring war Russian Empire. The rapid advance of the powerful French army forced the Russian command to retreat deeper into the country. 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 were killed or injured, according to the most conservative estimates. During the battle, the Russian army lost about 30% of its strength, the French - about 25%. In absolute numbers, this is about 60 thousand killed on both sides. But, according to some sources, up to 100 thousand people were killed during the battle and died later from injuries. Not a single one-day battle that took place before Borodino was so bloody.
Opponents: Britain vs Germany
Losses: Britain 60,000, Germany 8,000
Total: 68,000
Result: Inconclusive
The British Army suffered the bloodiest day in its history in the opening stages of a battle that would last for 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 wear down the German defenses with artillery bombardment to the point that the attacking British and French forces could simply move in and occupy the opposing trenches. But the shelling did not bring the expected destructive consequences.
As soon as the soldiers left the trenches, the Germans opened fire with machine guns. Poorly coordinated artillery often covered its own advancing infantry with fire or was often left without cover. As darkness fell, 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
Result: Carthaginian victory
The Carthaginian general Hannibal led his army through the Alps and defeated two Roman armies at Trebia and Lake Trasimene, seeking to engage the Romans in a final decisive battle. The Romans massed 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 sides closed in on the Roman flanks. The mass of legionnaires in the back ranks forced the first ranks to move forward uncontrollably, 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 escape, were forced to fight to the death. As a result of the battle, 50 thousand Roman citizens and two consuls were killed.
The battles are very different. Some last several hours, others stretch out over long days and even months. The final outcome of the war depends on some, while others decide absolutely nothing. Some are carefully planned and prepared, some break out accidentally, as a result of ridiculous misunderstandings. But battles of all times and peoples have one thing in common: people die in them. We invite you to look at the list of the bloodiest battles in human history.
Of course, what was considered a huge loss for ancient world, in the age of carpet bombings and tank raids, it doesn’t look so scary anymore. But each of the battles we presented was considered a real disaster for its time.
This clash decided the outcome of the Greco-Persian wars and put an end to King Xerxes' claims to rule over Hellas. In order to defeat a common enemy, Athens and Sparta put aside their eternal feuds and joined forces, but even their joint army was much smaller than the countless hordes of the Persian king.
The troops positioned themselves opposite each other along the banks of the Asopus River. After several skirmishes, the Persians managed to block the Greeks' access to water and force them to begin a retreat. Having rushed in pursuit, the Persians came across a harsh rebuff from one of the Spartan detachments remaining in the rear. At the same time, the Persian military leader Mardonius was killed, which greatly undermined the morale of his army. Having learned about the successes of the Spartans, the remaining Greek troops stopped retreating and counterattacked. Soon the Persian army fled, was trapped in its own camp and was completely killed. According to the testimony of Herodotus, only 43 thousand Persian soldiers under the command of Artabazus survived, who were afraid to engage in battle with the Spartans and fled.
Sides and commanders:
Union of Greek Cities - Pausanias, Aristides
Persia - Mardonius
Strengths of the parties:
Greeks-110 thousand
Persians - about 350 thousand (120 thousand according to modern estimates)
Losses:
Greeks - about 10,000
Persians - 257,000 (about 100,000 thousand according to modern estimates)
Battle of Cannae (2 August 216 BC)
The largest battle of the Second Punic War became a triumph for the Carthaginian commander Hannibal Barca. Before this, he had already twice won major victories over the proud Romans - at Trebia and at Lake Trasimene. But this time the inhabitants of the Eternal City decided to repel the conqueror who had boldly invaded Italy. A huge army was moved against the Punes under the command of two Roman consuls. The Romans outnumbered the Carthaginian forces by more than two to one.
However, everything was decided not by numbers, but by skill. Hannibal skillfully positioned his troops, concentrating light infantry in the center and placing cavalry on the flanks. Having taken the brunt of the Roman attack, the center failed. At this time, the Punic cavalry pushed through the Roman flanks, and the legionnaires, carried away by the offensive, found themselves inside a concave arc of enemy forces. Soon they were hit by sudden attacks from both flanks and from the rear. Finding themselves surrounded and in panic, the Roman army was completely routed. Among others, the consul Lucius Aemilius Paulus and 80 Roman senators were killed.
Sides and commanders:
Carthage - Hannibal Barca, Magarbal, Mago
Roman Republic - Lucius Aemilius Paulus, Gaius Terence Varro
Strengths of the parties:
Carthage - 36 thousand infantry and 8 thousand horsemen
Romans - 87 thousand soldiers
Losses:
Carthage - 5700 killed, 10 thousand wounded
Romans - from 50 to 70 thousand killed
Battle of Chaplin (260 BC)
At the beginning of the 3rd century BC. Chinese kingdom of qin conquered the neighbors one by one. Only the northern kingdom of Zhou was able to provide serious resistance. After several years of sluggish fighting, the time has come decisive battle between these two rivals. On the eve of the pitched battle, both Qin and Zhou replaced their commanders-in-chief. The Zhou army was led by the young strategist Zhao Ko, who knew military theory very well, but had absolutely no experience in combat. The Qin placed Bai Hi at the head of its forces, a talented and experienced commander who had earned a reputation as a ruthless killer and butcher who knew no mercy.
Bai He easily deceived his inexperienced opponent. Feigning a retreat, he lured the Zhou army into a narrow mountain valley and locked it there, blocking all the passes. Under such conditions, even small Qin detachments could completely block the enemy army. All attempts to make a breakthrough were unsuccessful. After being under siege for 46 days, suffering from hunger, the Zhou army surrendered in full force. Bai Qi showed unheard-of cruelty - on his orders, 400 thousand prisoners were buried alive in the ground. Only 240 people were released so that they could tell about it at home.
Sides and commanders:
Qin - Bai He, Wang He
Zhou - Lian Po, Zhao Ko
Strengths of the parties:
Qin - 650 thousand
Zhou - 500 thousand
Losses:
Qin - about 250 thousand
Zhou - 450 thousand
Battle of Kulikovo Field (September 8, 1380)
Exactly on Kulikovo field For the first time, the united Russian army inflicted a crushing defeat on the superior forces of the Horde. From that moment it became clear that the power of the Russian principalities would have to be taken seriously.
In the 70s of the 14th century, the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich inflicted several small but sensitive defeats on the temnik Mamai, who proclaimed himself the head of the Golden Horde. To strengthen his power and rein in the unruly Russians, Mamai moved a large army. In order to resist him, Dmitry Ivanovich had to show miracles of diplomacy, gathering an alliance. And yet the assembled army was smaller than the Horde.
The main blow was taken by the Big Regiment and the Left Hand Regiment. The battle was so hot that the fighters had to stand directly on the corpses - the ground was not visible. The front of the Russian troops was almost broken through, but they were still able to hold out until the Ambush Regiment struck the Mongolian rear. This came as a complete surprise to Mamai, who did not think about leaving a reserve. His army fled, and the Russians pursued and beat those fleeing for about 50 miles.
Sides and commanders:
Union of Russian Principalities - Dmitry Donskoy, Dmitry Bobrok, Vladimir Brave
Golden Horde - Mamai
Strengths of the parties:
Russians - about 70,000
Horde - about 150,000
Losses:
Russians - about 20,000
Horde - about 130,000
Tumu disaster (September 1, 1449)
The Mongolian Northern Yuan dynasty gained considerable strength in the 15th century and was not afraid to compete with the powerful Chinese Empire Min. Moreover, the Mongol leader Esentaishi intended to return China to the rule of the Northern Yuan, as it had been under Genghis Khan.
In the summer of 1449, a small but well-trained Mongol army invaded China. A huge but extremely poorly organized Ming army moved towards him, commanded by Emperor Zhu Qizhen, who relied in everything on the advice of the chief eunuch of the ritual department, Wang Zhen. When the armies met in the area of Tumu (modern Chinese province of Hubei), it turned out that the Chinese had no idea what to do with the super-mobile cavalry of the Mongols, which delivered lightning strikes in the most unexpected places. No one understood what to do or what battle formations to form. A Mongols seemed to be everywhere at once. As a result, the Ming army was killed by almost half. The Mongols suffered minor losses. Wang Zhen died and the emperor was captured. True, the Mongols never succeeded in completely conquering China.
Sides and commanders:
Northern Yuan - Esentaishi Empire
Ming - Zhu Qizhen
Strengths of the parties:
Northern Yuan - 20000
Losses:
Northern Yuan - unknown
Min - more than 200000
Naval Battle of Lepanto (October 7, 1571)
Naval battles due to their specificity, they are rarely very bloody. However, the Battle of Lepanto stands out from the general background. This was one of the main clashes between the Holy League (a union of Catholic states created to fight Turkish expansion) and its main enemy.
Two huge fleets maneuvering in the Mediterranean Sea unexpectedly met near the entrance to the Gulf of Patras - 60 kilometers from the Greek city of Lepanto. Due to the fact that all changes were made with oars, the heavy Turkish galliots fell behind, weakening the front. Nevertheless, the Turks managed to encircle the left flank of the League. But they were unable to take advantage - the Europeans had stronger and more numerous boarding teams. The turning point in the battle came after the Turkish naval commander Ali Pasha was killed in a shootout. His head was raised on a long pike, after which panic began among the Turkish sailors. This is how Europe learned that the previously invincible Turks could be beaten both on land and at sea.
Sides and commanders:
Holy League - Juan of Austria
Ottoman Empire- Ali Pasha
Strengths of the parties:
Holy League - 206 galleys, 6 galleasses
Ottoman Empire - about 230 galleys, about 60 galliots
Losses:
Holy League - about 17 ships and 9,000 men
Ottoman Empire - about 240 ships and 30,000 people
This battle was considered the largest in world history until the First World War. Bonaparte, expelled from Russia, did not lose hope of maintaining his dominion over Europe. However, in the fall of 1813, near Leipzig, he had to meet with the powerful forces of a new coalition, in which the main roles were played by Russia, Austria, Sweden and Prussia.
The battle lasted four days, and during this time the palm of fortune changed hands more than once. There were moments when it even seemed that the success of Napoleon's military genius was inevitable. However, October 18 became a turning point. Successful actions of the coalition on the flanks pushed back the French. And in the center a real disaster broke out for Napoleon - at the height of the battle, the Saxon division went over to the side of the coalition. It was followed by parts of other German principalities. As a result, October 19 became the day of the chaotic retreat of the Napoleonic army. Leipzig was occupied by coalition forces, and Saxony was completely abandoned by the French. Soon Napoleon lost other German principalities.
Sides and commanders:
Sixth Anti-Napoleonic Coalition - Karl Schwarzenberg, Alexander I, Karl Bernadotte, Gebhard von Blücher
French Empire - Napoleon Bonaparte, Michel Ney, Auguste de Marmont, Jozef Poniatowski
Strengths of the parties:
Coalition - about 350,000
France - about 210,000
Losses:
Coalition - about 54,000
France - about 80,000
This battle doesn't look too impressive. Most of the losses are wounded and missing. Only 7863 people were killed. However, all the time Civil War in the USA there were no deaths in one battle more people. And this despite the fact that the war itself is considered one of the bloodiest in history, if we consider the ratio of the number of deaths to total number population.
The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, under the command of General Lee, unexpectedly encountered the Northern Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg. The armies approached very carefully, and battles broke out between individual detachments. At first the southerners were successful. This reassured Lee too much, who misjudged the enemy's numbers. However, when it came to a close clash, it became clear that the northerners (who also occupied a defensive position) were stronger. Having exhausted his army by storming fortified positions, Lee tried to provoke the enemy into a counterattack, but was unsuccessful. As a result, he retreated. Only the indecisiveness of General Meade saved the army of the southerners from complete destruction, but they had already lost the war.
Sides and commanders:
United States of America - George Meade, John Reynolds
Confederate States of America - Robert E. Lee
Strengths of the parties:
USA - 93921 people
KSA - 71699 people
Losses:
USA - 23055 people
Battle of the Somme - (1 July - 18 November 1916)
Is it worth comparing a months-long operation with battles that lasted one or several days? More than a million people died in the Battle of the Somme, and about 70,000 of them on the very first day, July 1, 1916, which forever remained inscribed in bloody letters in the history of the British army.
The British relied on massive artillery preparation, which was supposed to scatter Germany's defensive positions into dust, after which British and French forces were supposed to calmly occupy a bridgehead in northern France. The artillery preparation lasted from June 24 to July 1, but did not bring the expected effect. The British units that went on the offensive came under machine-gun fire, which literally mowed down their ranks. And the German snipers began a real hunt for the officers (their uniforms stood out very much). The French were doing a little better, but by dark, only a few of the intended targets had been occupied. There were four months of fierce trench warfare ahead.
Sides and commanders:
Entente (Great Britain and France) - Douglas Haig, Ferdinand Foch, Henry Rawlinson, Emile Fayol
Germany - Ruprecht of Bavaria, Max von Gallwitz, Fritz von Below
Strengths of the parties:
Entente - 99 divisions
Germany - 50 divisions
Losses:
Entente - 623,907 people (about 60,000 on the first day)
Germany - about 465,000 (8-12 thousand on the first day)
Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943)
The largest land battle in human history is also the bloodiest. Stalingrad was a principled position - letting the enemy through here meant losing the war and devaluing the feat accomplished by Soviet soldiers in the defense of Moscow, so throughout the operation the battles were extremely fierce. Despite the fact that Luftwaffe bombing turned Stalingrad into ruins, and enemy troops were able to occupy about 90 percent of the city, they were never able to win. At the cost of incredible efforts, in the most difficult conditions of urban battles, the Soviet troops managed to hold their positions.
In the early autumn of 1942, preparations began for a Soviet counterattack, and on November 19, Operation Uranus was launched, as a result of which the city was liberated and the enemy defeated. About 110 thousand soldiers, 24 generals and Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus were captured. But this victory was bought at a high price...
Sides and commanders:
USSR - Alexander Vasilevsky, Nikolai Voronov, Konstantin Rokossovsky
Axis countries (Germany, Romania, Italy, Hungary, Croatia) - Erich von Manstein, Maximilian von Weichs, Friedrich Paulus
Strengths of the parties:
USSR - 1.14 million (386,000 at the beginning of the operation)
Axis countries - 987,300 people (430,000 at the beginning of the operation)
Losses:
USSR - 1,129,619 people
Axis countries - 1,500,000 people
From:
About how the Second World War began 70 years ago world war, read the material "Union of Wrong Forces". The magazine's ranking includes the 10 bloodiest battles.
1. Battle of Stalingrad
Meaning: The Battle of Stalingrad was the bloodiest battle in world history. Near this city on the Volga, seven were deployed against the German Army Group B and their allies. Soviet armies(plus the 8th Air Army and the Volga Flotilla). After the battle, Stalin said: “Stalingrad was the decline of the Nazi army.” After this massacre, the Germans could never recover.
Irreversible losses: USSR - 1 million 130 thousand people; Germany and allies - 1.5 million people.
2. Battle for Moscow
Meaning: the commander of the German 2nd Panzer Army, Guderian, assessed the consequences of the defeat near Moscow: “All sacrifices and efforts were in vain, we suffered a serious defeat, which, due to the stubbornness of the high command, led to fatal consequences in the coming weeks. A crisis arose in the German offensive , the strength and morale of the German army are broken."
Irreversible losses: USSR - 926.2 thousand people; Germany - 581.9 thousand people.
3. Battle for Kyiv
Significance: the defeat near Kiev was a heavy blow for the Red Army; it opened the way for the Wehrmacht to Eastern Ukraine, the Azov region and the Donbass. The surrender of Kyiv led to the virtual collapse of the Southwestern Front, soviet soldiers They began to throw down their weapons en masse and surrender.
Irreversible losses: USSR - 627.8 thousand people. (according to German data, the number of prisoners was 665 thousand people); Germany - unknown.
4. Battle of the Dnieper
Significance: up to 4 million people took part in the battle for the liberation of Kyiv on both sides, and the battle front stretched over 1,400 km. Front-line writer Viktor Astafiev recalled: “Twenty-five thousand soldiers enter the water, and three thousand, maximum five, emerge on the other side. And after five or six days, all the dead emerge. Can you imagine?”
Irreversible losses: USSR - 417 thousand people; Germany - 400 thousand killed (according to other sources, about 1 million people).
5. Battle of Kursk
Meaning: The largest battle in the history of World War II. The troops of the Central and Voronezh Fronts defeated the two largest army groups of the Wehrmacht: Army Group Center and Army Group South.
Irreversible losses: USSR - 254 thousand people; Germany - 500 thousand people. (according to German data, 103.6 thousand people).
6. Operation "Bagration"
Significance: one of the largest military operations in the entire history of mankind, during which the forces of the 1st Baltic, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts defeated the German Army Group Center and liberated Belarus. To demonstrate the significance of the success, after the battle, more than 50 thousand German prisoners captured near Minsk were paraded through the streets of Moscow.
Irreversible losses: USSR - 178.5 thousand people; Germany - 255.4 thousand people.
7. Vistula-Oder operation
Significance: strategic offensive of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts, during which the territory of Poland west of the Vistula was liberated. This battle went down in the history of mankind as the most rapid offensive - for 20 days, Soviet troops advanced a distance of 20 to 30 km per day.
Irreversible losses: USSR - 43.2 thousand people; Germany - 480 thousand people.
8. Battle of Berlin
Meaning: last battle Soviet troops in Europe. For the sake of storming the capital of the Third Reich, the forces of the 1st Ukrainian, 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts were united; divisions of the Polish Army and sailors of the Baltic Fleet took part in the battles.
Irreversible losses: USSR with its allies - 81 thousand people; Germany - about 400 thousand people.
9. Battle of Monte Casino
Meaning: The bloodiest battle involving the Western Allies, during which the Americans and British broke through the German defensive line "Gustav Line" and took Rome.
Irreversible losses: USA and allies - more than 100 thousand people; Germany - about 20 thousand people.
10. Battle of Iwo Jima
Meaning: first military operation US forces against Japan on land, which became the bloodiest battle in the Pacific theater of operations. It was after the assault on this small island 1250 km from Tokyo that the US command decided to conduct a demonstration atomic bombing before landing on the Japanese Islands.
Irreversible losses: Japan - 22.3 thousand people; USA - 6.8 thousand people.
Material prepared by Victor Bekker, Vladimir Tikhomirov
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