On May 9, every self-respecting Russian-language website or online publication devoted at least one, or even several articles to Victory Day over the fascist invaders. Of course, the authors who published their materials on VO did the same, and this is absolutely correct. However, as I read them, a very strange thought crept into my head and grew stronger: “Something is going wrong!”

And even more: “Something is very wrong!”

Seventy-two years ago, the most terrible war that humanity has ever known died down. We know that the armies of many countries fought in it, divided into two camps. The backbone of one of them was the Axis countries - fascist Germany, Italy and Japan, which was not far behind them. Those who blocked their path were led by the USSR, England and the USA.

Of course, the center of power of our enemies was fascist Germany, headed by Adolf Hitler. There is no doubt that it was the USSR that bore the brunt of the struggle against Hitlerism and that it was the Land of Soviets that plunged Germany into dust. But still, not alone. We were helped by our allies, which the USA and Great Britain became for us in those years. Yes, their contribution to the Victory is much more modest than ours. Yes, all of them taken together did not drink even a tenth of the cup of troubles and suffering that befell our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. But still, many British and Americans helped us in our struggle, they also suffered torment and grief, many lost their relatives and friends in that war, many gave their lives for the Victory.

Without a doubt, despite all the Luftwaffe bombings, the British settlements did not receive even a thousandth of the destruction that Soviet cities and villages suffered. British correspondent Alexander Werth, who visited Stalingrad after the battle, was deeply shocked by what he saw. Later he wrote:

“All the destruction of London could fit into one quarter of Stalingrad.”

Of course, this was an artistic exaggeration, but not too much. But is the grief of an English mother whose child was killed by a Nazi bomb any different from the grief of a woman in Stalingrad who suffered the same loss?

We are saying that the losses of the USA and England cannot be compared with those that the USSR suffered, and this is, without a doubt, true. The United States lost 405 thousand people killed. According to figures given by Winston S. Churchill, the British armed forces, including soldiers from India and the Dominions, lost 412,240 people killed and missing. The English merchant and fishing fleet lost another 30 thousand people, and in addition 67,100 civilians died. Thus, the total losses of the British Empire amounted to 509,340 people, according to other sources - only 450,000 people. In other words, our main allies lost less than a million people in World War II.

Of course, these figures are completely lost against the background of 27 million dead in the USSR. But on the other hand... imagine a large city such as Volgograd, Krasnodar or Saratov. With its numerous and long streets, wide squares, high, apartment buildings, traffic jams in the morning, tens and even hundreds of thousands of families gathering for dinner in their apartments in the evenings...

Saratov Center

And suddenly - there is none of this. The city, until recently full of life, is empty, all its inhabitants, down to the last person, are dead.

This is the price that England and the United States paid for victory in World War II. It is disproportionately less than what the Soviet Union gave, but still it is very, very large. And, without a doubt, worthy of the memory of grateful descendants. Their descendants, of course, but also ours, too, because we fought together against a common enemy.

Here lies the Soviet soldier Ivan, originally from Yaroslavl, struck down by a German shell fragment during the crossing of the Dnieper. Death overtook the fighter when he first set foot on the shore occupied by the fascist invaders, but he still tightly clutches his rifle, from which he hit the enemies during the crossing. And here is the body of George from Minnesota, lying three steps from the surf line of Omaha Beach - a machine gun burst pierced his chest, ending his life, but he did not let go of his hands either. Tell me, dear VO readers, what is the difference between Ivan from Yaroslavl and George from Minnesota? Both of them were ready to fight for their country, for their ideals, for what they believed in. Both of them stood in line to stop the brown plague with arms in hand. Both did not flinch in battle. Both gave their lives for the victory over the terrible enemy. So how did it happen that only one of them was worthy of our memory, gratitude and admiration?

Landing on the Dnieper and Normandy

Of course, it is possible (and necessary!) to say that the Allies opened the second front only in 1944, when the fall of Nazi Germany was virtually a foregone conclusion. Of course, one can (and should!) say that the coast of France was defended by relatively inexperienced divisions, which on the eastern front would have become lubricant for the T-34 tracks, but even they were able for a long time to hold back the Anglo-American forces, which were significantly superior in strength and equipment. army. Much more can (and should!) be said. But tell me, what of all this is the fault of that same George from Minnesota, who lies with a bullet through his chest on the wet sand of Omaha Beach? What did he do wrong? Came too late to help? So it wasn’t up to him to decide. Didn't fight too skillfully? They didn’t teach me that way, but I didn’t have time to learn it myself. In the fight against Nazism, he gave up the second most important value he possessed - his own life. And his honor will remain with him forever.

Even during the existence of the Soviet Union, the amazing metamorphoses that European and American agitprop underwent during the Second World War were known. How not to remember “the Polish army took Berlin, and the Soviet army helped.” Take the victory of Soviet troops in the battle of Moscow. Which, generally speaking, became the first major victory over the Wehrmacht, since from the very beginning of the Second World War, that is, since 1939, neither the British, nor the French, nor the Polish and in general any troops of Western (and pro-Western) countries inflicted even a single blow on the Germans. - noticeable damage. Neither on the scale of the corps, nor on the scale of the division, and in fact, even on the scale of the regiment, somehow it didn’t work out very well. The Red Army near Moscow brought an entire group of armies to the brink of destruction... And, in fact, predetermined the defeat of Germany, because it was precisely as a result of the heavy defeat of the troops of the Center group that any hopes for quick victory over the USSR they covered themselves with a copper basin. The war became protracted, and in a conflict of this kind the Axis countries, having far fewer resources than the Allies, could not count on success. And this victory of Soviet weapons... is simply not worthy of mention. So, some kind of nonsense, they were filled with corpses, but General Moroz intervened. Stalingrad is a different matter; here the Soviets achieved something. Although this local success of theirs, of course, pales in comparison to the Great American Victory at Midway and is completely insignificant in comparison with the achievements of the Allied forces in Africa. The back of fascism, of course, was broken by the brave American Marines and commandos during Operation Overlord, and soviet army at this time she amused herself by raping millions of German women in the territories she captured. And how could it be otherwise? Of course, fascism is very bad, but both Stalin and Hitler are tyrants, dictators, one might say, twin brothers... in general, they are birds of a feather, and in general the differences between a communist and a fascist are purely cosmetic. And only the power of the united Anglo-American troops saved war-weary Europe from the bestial grin of communism. After all, if not for the Allied troops, the red skating rink would have rolled across Europe right up to the English Channel...

For anyone even slightly familiar with history, such an oxymoron will cause nothing but the desire to twirl a finger at their temple. But, as the French say: “Slander, slander, something will remain.” When a lie is repeated for decades, people begin to believe it.

However, when the author of this article read the materials dedicated to Victory Day at VO, at some point he felt like an average European or American. Why? Yes, because, oddly enough, our authors did not have a single kind word for the allies who fought with us. Vice versa! The sacred (let’s not be afraid of this word) holiday was used... for “two minutes of hatred” (Orwell, in case anyone has forgotten) in relation to everything Western:

"Defeat Hitler's Germany and its allies thwarted the plans of the masters of the West to enslave all of humanity and establish complete dominance over it.”

But what about the over 800 thousand Johns, Jacks, Sams and Eugenes who died fighting against the Germans, Italians and Japanese? What about Lend-Lease? No way. Our authors didn’t have a kind word for them, and there wasn’t anything like that, and that’s the end of it. During the Second World War, the West tried to resolve the issue of destroying the Russian nation, and if it distinguished itself in any way in military operations against the Nazis, it was only through the barbaric bombing of the civilian population of German and Japanese cities.

Does this remind you of anything?

In reality, of course, our relations with the West have never been simple. As, indeed, Western countries among themselves. To a certain extent, of course, “thank you very much” for this must be said to England, which, as we know, “has no permanent allies, but only permanent interests.” The fact is that, starting from about the sixteenth century, England gradually emerged as the strongest maritime power that controlled world trade. This made her super-rich, and, of course, a tasty target for those who would like to take her place.

Having the most powerful fleet in the world, England was afraid of only one thing - the unification of Europe, because it was such a Europe that would have the resources to undermine its naval power and land an army directly on the territory of Foggy Albion. Accordingly, for centuries the essence of English policy was to use the money it received from trading overseas goods to form a coalition of weaker European powers against the strongest. And the British, in general, did not care at all which power would be the strongest at any given moment; there was nothing personal for them. Has Spain raised its head? Quadruple Alliance and War. Has France become stronger? England immediately begins to put together and finance anti-Napoleonic coalitions. Is Russia showing “excessive” activity in European politics? Crimean War. Germany, late to the division of the world, wants to redistribute the colonies in its favor and is building a powerful fleet? Well, the Entente is being created...

But what’s interesting is that when England’s nightmare did come true, and Europe found itself under the rule of a single ruler, it never ended well for Russia. As a matter of fact, Europe was united twice; it was done by Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. After this, the Russian Empire and the USSR experienced the most terrible invasions in their history, which our ancestors had to stop with great blood.

But then World War II died down, and the era of British dominance remained forever in the past. Yes, what just changed? In general, nothing - the USSR became the ultimate powerful superpower, definitely the strongest in Europe. Not just a single country, but all European countries did not have even a shadow of a chance to stop the USSR if it decided to soak the tracks of its tanks in the salty waters of the English Channel. And the United States came to take the role of England - the same “island” (only larger and further away), the same ultimate powerful fleet that meets the multi-power standard (that is, stronger than all other powers combined) and the same capabilities to control maritime trade, that Great Britain once had. And here is the continuation of the “old song on new way“- under the auspices of the superpowers and beyond the reach of the Soviet tank armadas of the United States, an alliance of the weakest states against the strongest is again formed - NATO against the USSR - and the world is sliding into the arms of a new war, this time a cold one...

In other words, a lot separates Russia and the United States, as well as Western countries. But what’s interesting is that the same can be said about almost any European country. How much blood is there between Germany and France? After all, they fought during the Napoleonic Wars, in the First and Second World Wars, and many times before. The question arises - how, then, with their history filled with struggle, did they manage to become allies during the Cold War?

The answer is very simple - practicality and expediency. In the event of an invasion by the USSR, neither Germany nor France alone could resist the Soviet army, but in alliance with each other, and with others European countries under the auspices of the United States - they could. The main thing is to properly demonize these incomprehensible Russians, so that they look much more terrible than the usual, in general, enemy...

But we do not at all strive to become another European people. We recognize many of the achievements of Europe, but for a long time we have no longer wished to blindly copy European ways of life in Russia. We believe that our position at the crossroads of European and Asian civilizations, our very difficult history will allow us to ultimately form a new structure of society in which the advantages of the Eastern and Western paths of development will organically merge together. But in this case, we simply cannot afford a “black and white” vision of the world (here are the good elves, and there are the evil orcs, the enemies). We cannot afford to divide the world into an “empire of good and an empire of evil.” We should look at those around us with a much broader view than they look at us.

In other words, we must see not only what divides us, but also what unites us. Or, at least, it once united. We must remember All.

We must not forget that in the composition Great Army Napoleon, which on the night of June 12, 1812 crossed the Neman and entered the borders Russian Empire, tens of thousands of Austrians and Prussians served. But we should also remember that in the monstrous battle of Leipzig, which received the name “Battle of the Nations” in historiography, in which almost 600 thousand soldiers fought on both sides (by the way, at Borodino there were about 250 thousand of them) and which finally broke the power of Napoleonic France, the Austrians and Prussians fought shoulder to shoulder with Russian troops. And, by the way, also the Swedish ones, with whom, generally speaking, all sorts of things also happened.

We will remember the monstrous and senseless bombings of Dresden and other cities, when hundreds of American “Fortresses” and English “Lancasters” destroyed the civilian population by tens and hundreds of thousands of people. But we will also remember the feat of VT-8 Squadron at the Battle of Midway.

American carrier-based torpedo bombers

Its commander, John Waldron, grandson of a Sioux chief, carried a Native American knife next to his service Colt and was an experienced pilot. But the rest of the squadron's pilots were just reservists, called up a few months ago. In 1942, US carrier-based aviation had not yet acquired nearly the power that allowed it to destroy the Japanese Air Force with almost no losses on its part. Before the “turkey hunt” - the destruction of Japanese carrier-based aircraft at the Battle of the Mariana Islands - there were two more bloody years of naval warfare. And in 1942, even finding previously discovered Japanese aircraft carriers was a very difficult task for American pilots.

Lieutenant Commander John Waldron had no illusions about the capabilities of his subordinates. Therefore, he “comforted” them with the fact that the squadron would be led to the enemy by the “hunter’s instinct” and ordered them to follow him. And then, when the Japanese were discovered, he ordered them to approach them within pistol shot range, and only then attack. This was the only way to expect that inexperienced reservists would be able to hit someone with torpedoes.

It may seem surprising, but Waldron actually took his squadron - fifteen TBD Devastator torpedo bombers - to the Japanese aircraft carriers. But alas, only torpedo bombers, because their fighter cover got lost somewhere in the clouds (according to other sources, it didn’t really get lost, but when it saw what forces it would have to deal with, it did not dare to engage in combat, subsequently formally justifying itself by the lack of a signal to attack). Be that as it may, the American torpedo bombers did not have a single chance - not only did they have to break through the strongest anti-aircraft fire of the Japanese order, the wings of Japanese Zero fighters were already spread out over them...

And, nevertheless, the torpedo bombers, without hesitation, set out on a combat course. They flew some 50 feet (about 15 meters) above the waves directly towards the aircraft carrier Kaga. “Zeros” fell from the sky on them, slashing their light fuselages with machine-gun bursts, but they moved forward. A fiery hell from dozens of artillery installations burst into their faces - they still went forward. The “Devastators” died one after another, until only one aircraft remained from the entire squadron, and then it, shot down, crashed into the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The VT-8 squadron died almost in its entirety in a hopeless attack against not only superior, but overwhelming enemy forces. But not a single American pilot retreated, left the battle, or deviated from the combat course.

Of the 45 people on her crew, only one ensign (midshipman) George Gray remained alive.

The moment his plane hit the water, he was thrown out of the car - he was injured, but managed to grab onto the plane seat cushion, which served as a life preserver. Later, at night, he managed to use a life raft, from which he was subsequently removed by an American destroyer.

Here someone can, of course, remember that it was US policy that provoked the Japanese to enter the war, and if not for the oil embargo, coupled with the obviously impossible American ultimatum, then perhaps Japan would not have attacked Pearl Harbor, and then Waldron’s squadron would not have had to die. But I will answer that the entire pre-war domestic and foreign policy of Japan led this country to war, and the only question was who would be attacked by the descendants of the samurai - the USSR or the USA. Let me also remind you that if it were not for the “provocations of the Americans,” our country would quite possibly have had to fight on the Far Eastern Front.

We must not forget the contempt with which Chamberlain rejected offers of help from the Soviet Union when Stalin was struggling to create an Anglo-French-Soviet alliance capable of stopping Nazi Germany. We will not have any special illusions about Winston Spencer Churchill, who, when asked why he suddenly began to so zealously support the Bolsheviks, whom he had fought so long and fiercely before, answered with the famous phrase:

“If Hitler had invaded Hell, I would at least have spoken favorably of Satan in the House of Commons.”

But we should not forget the indomitable spirit of another man who shared the same surname as the British Prime Minister: John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill.

Yes, he was quite an eccentric - he went into battle with an English combat bow and a Scottish broadsword, and one of his favorite phrases was:

“Any officer who goes into battle without a sword is armed incorrectly.”

But one day, while serving in special operations forces during the landing at Salerno, he came across a German mortar platoon. Churchill single-handedly (!) captured 42 (!!) Germans, forced them to collect all their weapons, including mortars, and brought them in this form to the location of the British troops. In another operation, during an attack on the island of Brac, his detachment was forced to engage in battle with superior enemy forces. They fought to the last, and all the British commandos were killed. Only Churchill, stunned by a grenade, miraculously survived and was captured.

So what do you think? He began by managing to set fire to the plane in which he, as a prisoner of war, was being transported to the rear, with the help of a piece of newspaper and an unknown candle stub. Without any hesitation, he told the Germans that the culprit was one of the pilots smoking in the cockpit... Then, once in a prisoner of war camp, he tried to escape, was caught, but ultimately managed to escape, walking 150 kilometers on his own two feet. along the German rear to the front line. And he continued to fight the Nazis.

We will remember the reluctance of the British to open a second front in Europe, and the American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But let’s not forget about the Lend-Lease supplies of highly scarce aviation gasoline, explosives, and cars, which the USSR produced in insufficient quantities and which our armed forces so needed. We will remember the American stew, which saved many people from malnutrition, and some from starvation. And, of course, about the British sailors who remained forever in the icy waves of the Norwegian and Barents seas, who gave their lives so that we could get all this through polar convoys.

We must remember everything - both the bad and the good. And on Great Victory Day, we should put aside the memories of what divides us from the United States and Western countries, but remember kind words more than eight hundred thousand Americans, British, Indians, Australians, New Zealanders and many, many others who laid down their lives in the fight against German and Italian fascism, as well as Japanese militarism. Because May 9 is the day of our common triumph over a strong and terrible enemy.

“Why remember this now?” - another reader will ask: “After all, the world is again on the threshold of the Cold War, and, in fact, it is already underway. The USA and the West again, as before, see us as an enemy, again demonize us in their media, spreading myths “about these terrible Russians.” And if so, then why don’t we answer them in the same way?”

Yes, because our grandfathers and great-grandfathers did not do this to their enemies, and here is a simple example. Nazi Germany swept through our lands with fire and sword, filling them with the blood of millions of Soviet people. Abuse of civilians and violence against our women was not something reprehensible for them. They came here as a master race, in order to destroy us as a nation, leaving the pitiful remnants of the “unterminus” to serve the “true Aryans.” And when in 1944 the mighty Soviet army, rising from the ashes of the defeats of 1941, approached the borders of the “thousand-year Reich” with irresistible force, there was hardly a single person in it whose relatives and friends did not directly or indirectly suffer from the fascist invaders.

But did the Red Army come to take revenge? No. She went to liberate (!) the German people from the oppression of fascism. That is, despite everything that the Nazis did in the occupied territories, our military personnel were expected to behave in the most correct manner towards civilians in Germany. Of course, anything could happen, because when war-weary people, constantly risking their own lives, find themselves among those whose relatives and friends forced our soldiers to lead such a life, they killed their wives, parents, children... But for violence against civilians the population in the Red Army was shot, regardless of past merits. Unlike the command of the USA and England, who could not even think of somehow punishing their soldiers, say, for the same rape... For mercy, these are just Germans!

One of the exploits of the Red Army was precisely that, having crushed fascism, it did not sink to its level. Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers really turned out to be BETTER than both their opponents and allies, and this is a source of special pride for our people.

Soviet soldiers feed Berlin residents

We must remember this lesson taught to us by our ancestors. No matter how much our opponents are persecuted, we must not stoop to their level. Because if we do this, then how will we be better than them?

Ctrl Enter

Noticed osh Y bku Select text and click Ctrl+Enter

When it comes to a global conflict, it is somehow strange to be interested in who fought in World War II, because it seems that everyone took part. But to obtain such status, every person on the planet does not have to be involved, and over the past years it is easy to forget who was on whose side in this conflict.

Countries that adhere to neutrality

It’s easier to start with those who chose to remain neutral. There are as many as 12 such countries, but since the bulk are small African colonies, it is worth mentioning only “serious” players:

• Spain- contrary to popular belief, the regime, which sympathized with the Nazis and fascists, did not provide real help regular troops;
• Sweden- was able to avoid involvement in military affairs, avoiding the fate of Finland and Norway;
• Ireland- refused to fight the Nazis for the stupidest reason, the country did not want to have anything to do with Great Britain;
• Portugal- adhered to the position of its eternal ally in the person of Spain;
• Switzerland- remained faithful to wait-and-see tactics and a policy of non-intervention.

There is no question of true neutrality - Spain formed a division of volunteers, and Sweden did not prevent its citizens from fighting on the side of Germany.

The trio of Portugal, Sweden and Spain actively traded with all sides of the conflict, sympathizing with the Germans. Switzerland was preparing to repel the advance of the Nazi army and was developing a plan for conducting military operations on its territory.

Even Ireland did not enter the war only because of political convictions and even greater hatred of the British.

Germany's European allies

On Hitler's side the following took part in the fighting:

1. Third Reich;
2. Bulgaria;
3. Hungary;
4. Italy;
5. Finland;
6. Romania;
7. Slovakia;
8. Croatia.

Most of the Slavic countries on this list did not take part in the invasion of the territory of the Union. The same cannot be said about Hungary, whose formations were twice defeated by the Red Army. It's about about more than 100 thousand soldiers and officers.

The most impressive infantry corps belonged to Italy and Romania, which on our soil managed to become famous only due to the cruel treatment of the civilian population in the occupied territories. In the zone of Romanian occupation were Odessa and Nikolaev, together with the adjacent territories, where the mass extermination of the Jewish population took place. Romania was defeated in 1944, the fascist regime of Italy was forced to withdraw from the war in 1943.

There is not much to say about the difficult relations with Finland since the 1940 war. The most “significant” contribution is closing the ring of the siege of Leningrad from the northern side. The Finns were defeated in 1944, as was Romania.

USSR and its allies in Europe

The Germans and their allies in Europe were opposed by:

• Britannia;
• USSR;
• France;
• Belgium;
• Poland;
• Czechoslovakia;
• Greece;
• Denmark;
• Netherlands;

Considering the losses suffered and the liberated territories, it would be incorrect not to include the Americans in this list. The Soviet Union, along with Britain and France, took the main blow.

For each country, the war had its own form:

1. Great Britain tried to cope with constant enemy air raids in the first stage and missile attacks from continental Europe in the second;
2. The French army was defeated with amazing speed, and only the partisan movement made a significant contribution to the final result;
3. The Soviet Union suffered the greatest losses, the war consisted of massive battles, constant retreats and advances, and a struggle for every piece of land.

The Western Front opened by the United States helped accelerate the liberation of Europe from the Nazis and saved millions of lives of Soviet citizens.

War in the Pacific

Fought in the Pacific:

• Australia;
• Canada;
• USSR.

The Allies were opposed by Japan, with all its spheres of influence.

The Soviet Union entered this conflict at the final stage:

1. Provided the transfer of ground forces;
2. Defeated the remaining Japanese army on the mainland;
3. Contributed to the surrender of the Empire.

The Red Army soldiers, seasoned in battle, were able to defeat the entire Japanese group, deprived of supply routes, with minimal losses.

The main battles in previous years took place in the sky and on the water:

• Bombing of Japanese cities and military bases;
• Attacks on ship convoys;
• Sinking of battleships and aircraft carriers;
• Battle for the resource base;
• The use of a nuclear bomb on civilians.

Given the geographical and topographical features, there was no talk of any large-scale ground operations. All the tactics were:

1. In control of key islands;
2. Cutting off supply routes;
3. Enemy resource limitations;
4. Knocking out airfields and ship anchorages.

The chances of victory for the Japanese from the first day of the war were very slim. Despite the success due to surprise and the unwillingness of the Americans to lead fighting overseas.

How many countries are involved in the conflict?

Exactly 62 countries. Not one more, not one less. There were so many participants in the Second World War. And this is out of 73 states that existed at that time.

This involvement is explained by:

• The crisis brewing in the world;
• Involvement of “big players” in their spheres of influence;
• The desire to solve economic and social problems by military means;
• The presence of numerous alliance treaties between the parties to the conflict.

You can list all of them, indicate the side and years active actions. But such a volume of information will not be remembered and the next day will not leave a trace behind. Therefore, it is easier to identify the main participants and explain their contribution to the disaster.

The results of World War II have long been summed up:

1. The culprits have been found;
2. War criminals punished;
3. Appropriate conclusions have been drawn;
4. “Memory organizations” were created;
5. Fascism and Nazism are prohibited in most countries;
6. Reparations and debts for the supply of equipment and weapons have been paid.

The main task is not repeat something like that .

Today, even schoolchildren know who fought in World War II and what consequences this conflict had for the world. But too many myths persist that need to be dispelled.

Video about the participants in the military conflict

This video very clearly demonstrates the entire chronology of the events of the Second World War, which countries took part in what:

Second world war 1939-1945 - the largest war in human history, unleashed by fascist Germany, fascist Italy and militaristic Japan. 61 states (more than 80% of the world's population) were drawn into the war; military operations were carried out on the territory of 40 states.

In 1941, when the Nazis attacked the USSR, Great Britain was already at war with Germany, and the contradictions between the USA, Germany and Japan were on the verge of armed conflict.

Immediately after the German attack on the USSR, the governments of Great Britain (June 22) and the USA (June 24) came out with support for the Soviet Union in its fight against fascism.

On July 12, 1941, a Soviet-British agreement on joint actions against Germany and its allies was signed in Moscow, which marked the beginning of the formation of the anti-Hitler coalition.

On July 18, 1941, the government of the USSR signed an agreement with the government of Czechoslovakia, and on July 30 - with the government of Poland on joint struggle with a common enemy. Since the territory of these countries was occupied by Nazi Germany, their governments were located in London (Great Britain).

On August 2, 1941, a military-economic agreement was concluded with the United States. At the Moscow meeting, held on September 29-October 1, 1941, the USSR, Great Britain and the USA considered the issue of mutual military supplies and signed the first protocol on them.

December 7, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack on the American military base Pearl Harbor in the Pacific started a war against the United States. On December 8, the USA, Great Britain and a number of other states declared war on Japan; On December 11, Nazi Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

At the end of 1941, the following countries were at war with the aggressor bloc: Australia, Albania, Belgium, Great Britain, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Greece, Denmark, Dominican Republic, India, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Luxembourg, Mongolian People's Republic, Netherlands, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, El Salvador, USSR, USA, Philippines, France, Czechoslovakia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Yugoslavia, Union of South Africa. In the second half of 1942, Brazil and Mexico entered the war against the fascist bloc, in 1943 - Bolivia, Iraq, Iran, Colombia, Chile, in 1944 - Liberia. After February 1945, Argentina, Venezuela, Egypt, Lebanon, Paraguay, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Türkiye, Uruguay. Italy (in 1943), Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania (in 1944), and Finland (in 1945), which were previously part of the aggressive bloc, also declared war on the countries of the Hitlerite coalition. By the end of hostilities with Japan (September 1945), 56 states were at war with the countries of the fascist bloc.

(Military Encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing House. Moscow. In 8 volumes, 2004. ISBN 5 203 01875 - 8)

The contribution of individual countries to achieving the goals of the anti-Hitler coalition was different. The USA, Great Britain, France and China participated with their armed forces in the fight against the countries of the fascist bloc. Separate units of some other countries of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, India, Canada, the Philippines, Ethiopia, etc. also took part in the hostilities. Some states of the anti-Hitler coalition (for example, Mexico) helped its main participants mainly with military supplies raw materials.

The USA and Great Britain made a significant contribution to achieving victory over the common enemy.

On June 11, 1942, the USSR and the USA signed an agreement on mutual supplies under Lend-Lease, i.e. loan transfers military equipment, weapons, ammunition, equipment, strategic raw materials and food.

The first deliveries arrived back in 1941, but the bulk of deliveries occurred in 1943-1944.

According to American official data, at the end of September 1945, 14,795 aircraft, 7,056 tanks, 8,218 anti-aircraft guns, 131,600 machine guns were sent from the USA to the USSR, from Great Britain (until April 30, 1944) - 3,384 aircraft and 4,292 tanks; 1,188 tanks were delivered from Canada, which had been directly involved in providing assistance to the USSR since the summer of 1943. In general, US military supplies during the war years amounted to 4% of the military production of the USSR. In addition to weapons, the USSR received cars, tractors, motorcycles, ships, locomotives, wagons, food and other goods from the United States under Lend-Lease. The Soviet Union supplied the United States with 300 thousand tons of chrome ore, 32 thousand tons of manganese ore, a significant amount of platinum, gold, and timber.

Some of the American cargo (about 1 million tons) did not reach the Soviet Union, because it was destroyed by the enemy during transportation.

There were about ten routes for delivering goods under Lend-Lease to the USSR. Many of them took place in areas of intense hostilities, which required great courage and heroism from those who provided supplies.

Main routes: across the Pacific Ocean through the Far East - 47.1% of all cargo; across the North Atlantic, skirting Scandinavia - to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk - 22.6%; via the South Atlantic, Persian Gulf and Iran - 23.8%; through the ports of the Black Sea 3.9% and through the Arctic 2.6%. Aircraft moved by sea and independently (up to 80%) through Alaska - Chukotka.

Help from the allies came not only through the Lend-Lease program. In the USA, in particular, the “Russia War Relief Committee” was created, which during the war collected and sent goods worth more than one and a half billion dollars to the USSR. In England, a similar committee was headed by Clementine Churchill, the wife of the Prime Minister.

In 1942, an agreement was reached between the USSR, Great Britain and the USA to open a second front in Western Europe. In June 1944, this agreement was implemented - Anglo-American troops landed in Normandy (northwest France), and a second front was opened. This made it possible to withdraw about 560 thousand German troops from the eastern front and contributed to the acceleration of the final defeat of Nazi Germany, which was now forced to fight on two fronts.

The material was prepared based on open sources

It is not customary to talk much about the assistance of the USSR allies during the Second World War. However, it was there, and it was considerable. And not only within the framework of Lend-Lease. Soviet troops were supplied with food, medicine, and military equipment.

As you know, from love to hate there is only one step. Especially in politics, where it is quite permissible to smile at those whom yesterday you reviled as fiends of hell. Here we are, if we open the Pravda newspaper for 1941 (before June 22), we will immediately find out how bad the Americans and British were. They starved their own population and started a war in Europe, while the Chancellor of the German people Adolf Hitler was just defending himself... Well, even earlier in Pravda one could even find the words that “fascism helps the growth of class consciousness of the working class.” .

And then they became suddenly good...

But then came June 22, 1941, and literally the next day Pravda came out with reports that Winston Churchill promised military aid to the USSR, and the US President unfrozen Soviet deposits in American banks, frozen after the war with Finland. That's all! Articles about hunger among British workers disappeared in an instant, and Hitler turned from “Chancellor of the German People” into a cannibal.

Convoy "Dervish" and others

Of course, we don't know about all the behind-the-scenes negotiations that took place at that time; even declassified correspondence between Stalin and Churchill with all the nuances of this difficult period of our general history doesn't open. But there are facts showing that the Anglo-American allies of the USSR began to provide assistance, if not immediately, then in a sufficiently timely manner. Already on August 12, 1941, the Dervish convoy of ships left Loch Ewe Bay (Great Britain). On the first transports of the Dervish convoy on August 31, 1941, ten thousand tons of rubber were delivered to Arkhangelsk, about four thousand depth charges and magnetic mines, fifteen Hurricane fighters, as well as 524 military pilots from the 151st Wing of two squadrons of the Royal Air Force of Great Britain. Later, pilots even from Australia arrived on the territory of the USSR. There were a total of 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945 (although there were no convoys between July and September 1942 and March and November 1943). In total, about 1,400 merchant ships delivered important military materials to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program. 85 merchant ships and 16 warships of the Royal Navy (2 cruisers, 6 destroyers and 8 other escort vessels) were lost. And this is only the northern route, because the cargo flow also went through Iran, through Vladivostok, and planes from the USA were directly transported to Siberia from Alaska. Well, and then the same “Pravda” reported that in honor of the victories of the Red Army and the conclusion of agreements between the USSR and Great Britain, the British were organizing folk festivals.

Not only and not so much convoys!

The Soviet Union received assistance from its allies not only through Lend-Lease. In the USA, the “Russia War Relief Committee” was organized. “Using the money collected, the committee purchased and sent medicines to the Red Army and the Soviet people, medical supplies and equipment, food, clothing. In total, during the war, the Soviet Union received assistance worth more than one and a half billion dollars.” A similar committee led by Churchill’s wife operated in England, and it also purchased medicines and food to help the USSR.

Pravda wrote the truth!

On June 11, 1944, the Pravda newspaper published significant material on the entire page: “On the supply of weapons, strategic raw materials, industrial equipment and food to the Soviet Union by the United States of America, Great Britain and Canada,” and it was immediately reprinted by all Soviet newspapers, including local and even newspapers of individual tank armies. It reported in detail how much had been sent to us and how many tons of cargo were floating by sea at the time the newspaper was published! Not only tanks, guns and airplanes were listed, but also rubber, copper, zinc, rails, flour, electric motors and presses, portal cranes and technical diamonds! Military shoes - 15 million pairs, 6491 metal-cutting machines and much more. It is interesting that the message made an exact division of how much was purchased in cash, that is, before the adoption of the Lend-Lease program, and how much was sent after. By the way, it was precisely the fact that at the beginning of the war a lot of things were purchased for money that gave rise to the opinion that still exists today that all Lend-Lease came to us for money, and for gold. No, a lot was paid for with “reverse Lend-Lease” - raw materials, but the payment was postponed until the end of the war, since everything that was destroyed during hostilities was not subject to payment! Well, why such information was needed at this particular time is understandable. Good PR is always a useful thing! On the one hand, the citizens of the USSR learned how much they supply us with, on the other hand, the Germans learned the same thing, and they simply could not help but be overcome by despondency. How much can you trust these numbers? Obviously it is possible. After all, if they contained incorrect data, then only German intelligence would have figured it out, although according to some indicators, how could they declare everything else propaganda and, of course, Stalin, giving permission for the publication of this information, could not help but understand this!

Both quantity and quality!

In Soviet times, equipment supplied under Lend-Lease was usually criticized. But... it’s worth reading the same “Pravda” and in particular the articles of the famous pilot Gromov about American and British aircraft, articles about the same English Matilda tanks, to be convinced that during the war all this was assessed completely differently than after its end! How can one appreciate the powerful presses that were used to stamp turrets for T-34 tanks, American drills with corundum tips, or industrial diamonds, which Soviet industry did not produce at all?! So the quantity and quality of supplies, as well as the participation of foreign technical specialists, sailors and pilots, was very noticeable. Well, then politics and the post-war situation intervened in this matter, and everything that was good during the war years immediately became bad with just the stroke of a leading pen!

Stalin case in Samara

https://www.site/2015-04-13/soyuzniki_sssr_vo_vtoroy_mirovoy_voyne_chast_pervaya_ruzvelt

“We will get along well with Marshal Stalin and with all the Russian people”

Allies of the USSR in World War II. Part One: Roosevelt

The day before, April 12, it was 70 years since the end of the political activity of the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt; 10 years later, only a week earlier, on April 5, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ended his active political career. Roosevelt's presidency was interrupted by death, Churchill's leadership by old age (he died a decade later, in 1965, at the age of 90). One way or another, both dates are an occasion on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Victory, which the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition are celebrating separately, to recall that in the person of both the American president and the British prime minister, the Soviet people had not only brilliant representatives of competing systems, but also outstanding statesmen who sincerely admired the feat of the USSR.

“The most important event is the crushing counter-offensive of the great Russian army”

Throughout the war, the parties argued, sometimes violently, over the volume of supplies to the Soviet Union from the United States and the Kingdom of weapons and materials, over the opening of a second front, separate negotiations with Germany and the post-war structure of the world, specifically Europe. But from the very beginning, since 1941, Roosevelt took an unequivocal and unshakable position: America is an ally and helper Soviet Russia, which he saw as a potential "great society". We emphasize this because not everyone shared the president’s goodwill towards the “class-hostile” state. Thus, Roosevelt’s future successor as president, Senator Harry Truman, did not hesitate to tell The New York Times: “If we see that Germany is winning, then we should help Russia, and if Russia wins, then we should help Germany, and so Thus, let them kill [each other] as much as possible!

The volume of American supplies to the Soviet Union during the war years amounted to more than $11 billion in 1940s prices.

Already by November 1941, Roosevelt assured Stalin of his resolve American government provide the USSR with an interest-free loan of $1 billion. In total, during the war years, under the Lend-Lease program, the United States sent military and civilian equipment, explosives, materials, fuel, food, etc. to the Soviet Union. more than 11 billion dollars (to represent the volume of supplies in modern prices, multiply this amount by ten).

Today we often point to the historical ingratitude of the Americans, who took credit for the general victory of the Allies over the Third Reich. However, it is enough to read the texts of Roosevelt’s regular addresses to his people (they went down in history as “Fireside Chats”) to be convinced that he honestly - and with admiration - gave undeniable priority in the fight against fascism to the Soviet people. April 1942: “On the European front the most important event last year, without a doubt, was a crushing counter-offensive of the great Russian army against the powerful German group. Russian troops have destroyed and continue to destroy more manpower, aircraft, tanks and guns of our common enemy than the rest of the United Nations combined.” September 1942: “The Russians are killing more Nazi soldiers and destroying more enemy aircraft and tanks than Hitler's opponents on any other front. The Russians fight not only bravely, but also skillfully. Despite all the temporary setbacks, Russia will endure and, with the help of its allies, will ultimately expel every last Nazi from its land.” December 1942: “The successes of the Red Army in this war represent outstanding military achievements last centuries. For 18 months, she defends her fatherland against the attack of the strongest military enemy in history. During the course that will forever go down in history Battle of Stalingrad she not only stopped the enemy, but also launched a counter-offensive, which is now developing along the entire huge front - from Leningrad to the Caucasus. The Red Army, its valiant soldiers, men and women, its talented military leaders, supported by the efforts of all Russian citizens - men, women and children, laid the foundation for the inevitable victory over Hitler's army."

"The successes of the Red Army in this war represent the outstanding military achievements of recent centuries"

Same ratings superlatives We also find it in the personal correspondence of Roosevelt and Stalin. August 1942: "The United States is well aware of the fact that the Soviet Union bore the brunt of the fighting and the heaviest losses throughout 1942, and I can report that we greatly admire the magnificent resistance that your country has demonstrated." February 1944: “The magnificent victories that the Red Army achieved under your leadership were an inspiration to everyone. The heroic defense of Leningrad was crowned and rewarded by the recent crushing defeat of the enemy at the gates of that city. As a result of the victorious offensive of the Red Army, millions of Soviet citizens were freed from slavery and oppression. These achievements, together with the cooperation agreed upon in Moscow and Tehran, ensure our final victory over the Nazi aggressors."

“The soul and heart of Russia have their true representative in Stalin”

Despite all the differences in origin and fate, the aristocrat Franklin Roosevelt and the revolutionary Joseph Stalin were somewhat similar to each other: both secretive, cautious, pragmatic to the core. Perhaps that is why there was more unanimity and warmth in the relations between the president and the Council of People's Commissars than in the relations between Stalin and Churchill. Once, in response to his assistant’s remark that Stalin was a bandit who could not be dealt with as a gentleman, Roosevelt retorted: “No, we will treat him exactly like a gentleman, and he must gradually stop being a bandit.”

They say that the tone of the relationship between the two leaders was significantly influenced by an anecdotal episode. In the most difficult year for the USSR (the Red Army suffered a disaster near Kharkov, Sevastopol and Rostov-on-Don were surrendered, the Germans reached the Volga at Stalingrad), Stalin sent Roosevelt a copy of his favorite pre-war film “Volga-Volga”. The President guessed the catch when, getting acquainted with the tape in translation, he came to the couplets of one of the main characters:

America gave Russia a steamship -

Steam from the nose, wheels at the back

And terribly, and terribly, and terribly quiet!

"We will treat him like a gentleman, and he must gradually stop being a bandit."

Stalin delicately, with humor, and in a friendly manner hinted to his overseas colleague about delays in supplies and delays in opening a second front.

In his Christmas Fireside Chat in December 1943, Roosevelt told Americans: in simple language, I got along very well with Marshal Stalin. This person combines a huge, unyielding will and a healthy sense of humor; I think the soul and heart of Russia have their true representative in him. I believe that we will continue to get along well with him and with the entire Russian people.”

The President and the Secretary General really “got along very well.” A month before the Christmas “conversation”, in November 1943, during the Tehran Conference, Roosevelt, for security reasons, was located in the Soviet embassy. And during the Yalta Conference in February 1945, both allies, in front of the other participants, closed for a full 23 minutes on the American “half” for secret bilateral negotiations, so the wounded Churchill had to diligently pretend that nothing extraordinary had happened.

Until the death of Roosevelt, who, due to polio, spent almost a quarter of a century in wheelchair, there were only two months left. According to the memoirs of the legendary Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, visiting the sick president during the Yalta Conference, Stalin quietly said: “Well, tell me, why is this man worse than others, why did nature punish him? Is it true that the president is not English? (The Roosevelts have Dutch roots. – Ed.). However, in his behavior and manner of expressing thoughts, he is more like an Englishman than Churchill. The latter somehow has less control over his emotions. Roosevelt, on the contrary, is all prudence and taciturnity.”

On the day of Roosevelt's funeral, mourning was declared in the USSR

As if returning well-deserved compliments, the president told his son Elliot about Stalin: “This man knows how to act. He always has a goal before his eyes. Working with him is a pleasure. No extravagances. He has a deep, deep voice, he speaks slowly, he seems very self-confident, unhurried - in general, he makes a strong impression.”

Over the years, in the eyes of the president, the bandit turned into a trustworthy gentleman. “Under the leadership of Marshal Joseph Stalin, the Russian people showed such an example of love for the motherland, fortitude and self-sacrifice, which the world has never known. After the war, our country will always be glad to maintain relations of good neighborliness and sincere friendship with Russia, whose people, by saving themselves, are helping to save the whole world from the Nazi threat,” Roosevelt said in “Fireside Chats” in July 1943.

About going to war with Soviet Union After the joint defeat of Hitler, hot or cold, the American president had no idea. He valued the friendly ties between two leaders and two peoples, which had been suffered through a bloody war, and saw the USSR, USA, Great Britain and China as guarantors of global peace and prosperity. When Soviet intelligence reported to Stalin about the separate Allied negotiations with Himmler, Roosevelt hastened to send a conciliatory telegram to the Kremlin: “In any case, there should be no mutual distrust, and minor misunderstandings of this nature should not arise in the future.” The Soviet leader received a telegram on April 13, the day after Roosevelt's death: he dictated it a few hours before his death.

Mourning was declared in the Soviet Union. On April 15, the day of the president's funeral, several hundred people gathered at the American embassy in Moscow. “In President Franklin Roosevelt, the Soviet people saw an outstanding political figure and an unyielding champion of close cooperation between our three states,” Stalin wrote to Winston Churchill. – The Soviet people will always highly value and remember President Roosevelt’s friendly attitude towards the USSR. As for me personally, I especially deeply feel the weight of the loss of this great man - our mutual friend.”

At the Potsdam Conference, Roosevelt's successor Truman informed Stalin that America had acquired nuclear weapons.

Just over three months later, at the Potsdam Conference of the Victorious Countries, Truman informed Stalin that America “now has a weapon of extraordinary destructive power” - atomic weapons. The following March, 1946, at Westminster College, Missouri, Churchill delivered the famous Fulton speech: “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended over Europe. On the other side of the curtain are all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe - Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest, Sofia. All of these famous cities and the people in their areas found themselves within what I call the Soviet sphere, all of them in one form or another subject not only to Soviet influence, but also to the significant and increasing control of Moscow... Communist parties, who were very few in number in all these states of Eastern Europe, have achieved exceptional power, far superior to their numbers, and are everywhere seeking to establish totalitarian control. Almost all of these countries are run by police governments, and to this day, with the exception of Czechoslovakia, they have no true democracy.”

The Cold War began. Without Roosevelt, there was no one to stop her. No wonder there are rumors that the president was killed: no autopsy was performed, and the funeral service took place with a closed coffin.

In the coming days, read the next part of the historical review - about the role of Winston Churchill in the victory over fascism.