On June 22nd shortly past three a.m. Nazi troops invaded the Soviet territory without a declaration of war. The Nazis had 4.6 million men, 190 divisions, more than 4 thousand tanks, over 47 thousand guns and mortars, about 5 thousand aircraft and up to 200 ships. Soviet forces had 2 million 680 thousand men, 37.5 thousand guns and mortars, 1475 new tanks, 1540 new combat aircraft and a considerable number of older tanks and planes. In some areas the aggressor outnumbered Soviet troops by 3 or 4 times. On the first day of the war Soviet troops retreated up to 50 kilometers in some places, Soviet aviation lost about 1200 planes.
In the first three weeks German troops advanced 20 or 30 kilometers daily into the Soviet territory. The first blow was taken by frontier guards, who were severely decimated by the advancing Nazi forces. The country will never forget heroism of the defenders of the Brest Fortress who held out for about a month. In appreciation of the mass heroism and courage of its residents the city of Brest was made Hero City.
By mid-July the German troops occupied Latvia, Lithuania, Western Ukraine, Belorussia. In appreciation for the mass heroism of its residents the capital of Belorussia - Minsk was made Hero City too.
Early in August the Germans were advancing in three directions. In the north they were determined to seize Leningrad. In the central direction their purpose was to destroy the country's capital Moscow. In the south-east the German command planned to occupy Ukraine, the Crimean peninsula and enter the Caucasus. In a short period of time German troops advanced 400 to 500 kilometers in the north-west, 450 to 600 kilometers in the west and 300 to 350 kilometers in the south-west.
 
ON THE LENINGRAD FRONT
 
On July 10th the Germans began their offensive on the Leningrad front. German troops were gradually tightening the siege of Leningrad.
Late in August all railway routes connecting Leningrad with the country were cut off. Communication links with the city could only be maintained across the Ladoga Lake or by air.
On September 8th land communication with Leningrad stopped and the 900-day siege of the city began. In September one of the fiercest air raids against Leningrad took place with the participation of 276 planes. The city suffered 6 bombardments all in one day.
On November 20th the besieged residents of Leningrad began starving. The siege lasted until January 1944. In appreciation for the mass heroism of its defenders Leningrad was made Hero City.
 
ON THE MOSCOW FRONT
 
July 10th marked the beginning of the offensive against Moscow where the German command concentrated half of its manpower, one third of artillery pieces and 75% of tanks of the total number of manpower and hardware on the Soviet-German front. On the way to Moscow was the city of Smolensk.
 
 
 
 
 
 
From July 10th to September 10thlasted the battle of Smolensk. The frontline stretched 650 kilometers and up to 250 kilometers deep. The offensive on Moscow was suspended for two months.
On September 30th the Germans launched the "Typhoon" operation the purpose of which was to surround and eliminate Soviet troops near Moscow. The capital was to be occupied in 1941. Moscow residents were quick to build several defense lines. In the suburbs of Moscow and in the city itself 450 thousand people, mainly women, were erecting defense fortifications. Weapons and ammunition manufacturing plants worked in three shifts to provide the city's defenders with everything necessary to stand up to the enemy. By the end of October the enemy advanced 230 to 250 kilometers to Moscow.
On November 7th a traditional parade of the Red Army on the occasion of 24th anniversary of the October Revolution took place on Red Square in Moscow. Army units were leaving for the Western front right from the parade.
On November 16th - the country learned about the heroism of 28 members of the division of General I.V.Panfilov who held up for 4 hours the advance of a big enemy tank force. Nearly all of the 28 heroes were killed. Widely known became the words of political instructor Klochkov :"Vase is Russia but we can retreat no longer".
Late in November early in December the situation on the Moscow front was critical. In the north the German troops had broken through to the Moskva-Volga Canal. Moscow was only 30 kilometers away. In the south fierce battles were fought near Tula. In appreciation for the mass heroism of its residents Tula was made Hero City.
By December 25th the threat of Moscow being encircled from the north and south had been removed. The Battle of Moscow lasted until April 20th, 1942. In appreciation of the mass heroism of its residents Moscow was made Hero City. More than 3 million people, up to 3 thousand tanks, more than 2 thousand planes and over 22 thousand guns and mortars were involved in the battle on both sides.
By December 22ndNazi planes had made 122 raids against Moscow in which about 8 thousand aircraft had taken part. Only 229 had managed to break through to the city.
 
ON THE SOUTH-EASTERN FRONT
 
On September 19th after one month and a half of fighting the Soviet Army left the Ukrainian capital Kiev. For the mass heroism of its defenders the city was made Hero City.
From August 5th to October 16th lasted the defense of Odessa that had found itself far behind the enemy lines. The mass heroism of its residents brought the city the title of Hero City. On October 16th the Red Army left the city.
By the middle of November German troops had occupied nearly the whole of the Crimean peninsula. Only the port of Sevastopol continued to hold out. The defense of the city lasted 8 months. Sevastopol fell on July 4th 1942. The city was made Hero City.
In November the German troops occupied for several days the city of Rostov-on-Don, which was considered the key to the North Caucasus.
By the end of the year more than 1.5 million square kilometers of the Soviet territory were in the hands of the enemy. 74.5 million people had lived on the territory before the war. More than 2 thousand guerrilla groups were operating on te occupied territory. In 1941 fighting was underway along the more than 1000-kilometer front. Soviet Armed Forces lost more than 5.3 million people killed, captured or missing. The number of Soviet POWs amounted to 2 million.
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With the use of photos from the book "Great Patriotic War in Photos and Films".