In 1942 the Soviet-German front was 6200 kilometers long. By August the biggest enemy force in the entire history of the Second World War had concentrated on the front.
 
ON THE LENINGRAD FRONT
 
Throughout the year the Soviet Army made several attempts to break the siege of Leningrad. . But all efforts ended in failure. The siege would be lifted only in January 1944.
 
ON THE MOSCOW FRONT
 
From January 8th to the end of April Soviet troops were fighting closing battles near Moscow. The enemy was thrown 80 to 250 kilometers back from Moscow and Soviet troops completed the liberation of the Moscow and Tula regions and liberated many areas in the Kalinin and Smolensk regions. From the beginning of the war to the end of March 1942 about 1600 high-explosive and about 100 petrol bombs were dropped on Moscow, more than 1.2 thousand Moscow residents were killed and about 5.4 thousand wounded. In appreciation for the mass heroism of its people Moscow was made Hero City. More than 36 thousand Soviet soldiers were awarded with orders and medals. 110 people received the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union. More than 1 million people received a medal "For the Defense of Moscow".
 
ON THE SOUTHERN FRONT
 
The main strike of the German troops occurred on the southern front From the beginning of the year until May 8th Soviet troops defended the southern tip of the occupied Crimean peninsula. After a successful enemy offensive and the seizure of the cities of Kerch and Feodosiya Soviet troops were evacuated. The strongholds of resistance in Crimea remained the city of Sevastopol and stone quarries near Kerch.
From the second half of May to the end of October more than 10 thousand soldiers defended the quarries near Kerch. For the mass heroism of its defenders Kerch was made Hero City.
On June 30 after fierce battles Soviet troops left Sevastopol. The defense of the city that lasted 250 days was over. More than 39 thousand people were awarded with a medal "For the Defense of Sevastopol". In appreciation for the mass heroism of its residents the city of Sevastopol was made Hero City.
12-29 May - an attempt made by Soviet troops to liberate the city of Kharkov ended in failure.
On June 28th German forces began an offensive in two directions: to Stalingrad, situated on the Volga, the main waterway of the European part of the country, and to the oil fields in the Caucasus.
 
THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD
 
The Battle of Stalingrad began on July 17th It covered 100 thousand square kilometers and lasted 200 days. More than 2 million people took part in the battle from both sides.
Early in August German troops approached Stalingrad. From the north the city was 60 or 70 kilometers away and from the south - 20 or 30.
On August 23rd German units broke through to the bank of the Volga on one of the sections. Up to 2 thousand raids were made against the city in 24 hours. More than 40 thousand people were killed and over 150 thousand wounded.
In late August early September German troops entered the outskirts of Stalingrad. The city was just 2 to 10 kilometers away.
In September fierce street battles were fought in Stalingrad.
On September 26th German troops reached the Volga in some parts of the city.
On September 27th 3 soldiers commanded by Sergeant Y.F.Pavlov seized and defended for three days the only house in the city that had survived the bombings. Later on the defense of the house by 25 soldiers would last 58 days and would end with the counter-offensive of the Soviet troops.
By mid-November German troops had seized most of the city. In two parts of the city they had reached the Volga but failed to cross it.
On November 11 German troops made the last attempt to capture Stalingrad.
November 19th through February 2nd the next year marked a counter-offensive of the Soviet troops on the Stalingrad front. As a result, the German army was encircled. Enemy losses in the Battle of Stalingrad totaled 1.5 million people.
 
THE BATTLE OF THE CAUCASUS
 
The defense of the Caucasus lasted lasted from the end of July to December 31st.The way to the Trans-Caucasian region lay through mountain passes of the Main Caucasus Range and along the Black Sea coast. The advance of the German army was halted on both directions.
On September 9th after fierce three-day battles Soviet forces pulled out of most parts of the city of Novorosiisk on the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea. The eastern part of the city was defended by Soviet troops until its complete liberation in September 1943. In appreciation for the courage shown by its defenders the city of Novorosiisk was made Hero City.
 
 
  
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With the use of photos from the book "Great Patriotic War in Photos and Films".