German soldiers on the outskirts of Moscow. According to the directive of Hitler, the assault is carried out without proper preparation and strengthening of communications, since September 30, 1941.
Sevastopol, 1941. The first assault on the base of the Black Sea Fleet will take place on October 30 – November 21
Sailors of Sevastopol. On land, sailors form elite infantry, aware of the value of combat brotherhood, accustomed to handling sophisticated equipment.
The outskirts of Sevastopol, autumn 1941
The battleship Sevastopol is firing. The first and second storming of the city of military glory is frustrated thanks to the artillery support of the ships in the bays.
The Germans are increasing the pressure in the center of the USSR. Wrecked tank KV-1 with marks from dozens of shells in the city of Venev, Tula region
The defense of the city of Tula, November 1941. The most important center of the Soviet defense industry is almost completely surrounded by German units. The city holds a siege, and does not allow the Wehrmacht to strike at Moscow from the south
On December 28, 1941, the Red Army and the fleet landed troops in Kerch. A day later, landing in Feodosia. This operation is successful. The German division occupying Kerch evacuates into the depths of the Crimea peninsula, throwing heavy equipment
Subsequent, poorly prepared and indecisive attacks on Wehrmacht fortified positions only exhaust the mechanized units of the Red Army in the Crimea.
The downed tank KV-1. District of the city of Old Crimea. This is the last frontier of the advancement of the Soviet marines. December 1941
The construction of earthworks for the streets of the capital of the USSR
Panic in Moscow, October 16, 1941
To overcome the fear of the Wehrmacht forces, an exhibition of German military equipment is organized in the center of Moscow.
Moscow, 1941. MiG-3 fighters. The capital is covered by impressive air defense forces. Hitler’s plan for the destruction of the city from the air is not carried out
Two hundred thousand civilians are mobilizing to the aid of the Red Army in Moscow. Almost all of them die in the coming months.
American poster in support of the Lend-Lease
In November 1941, supplies under Lend-Lease start. The Soviet Union receives the first 670 aircraft, about 400 tanks and 3,000 other military cargoes from the United States and Great Britain. In the battle of Moscow, the armored vehicles «Valentine» and «Matilda II» account for 35% of all tanks used by the Red Army. Fighters «Tomahawk» and «Hurricane» form 16% of the capital’s air defense fleet. Photography is one of the first Lend-Lease sea convoys. November 1941
Moscow, November 1941. The BT-7 tanks are sent to the front.N. Nikulin: “… At the end of November, our offensive began. Only now I learned what war is, although I still did not participate in the attacks. Hundreds of wounded, dead, cold, hunger, stress, a week without sleep … On one relatively quiet night, I sat in a snow-covered hole, unable to fall asleep from the cold. Scratching lousy sides and crying from longing and weakness. That night a fracture occurred in me. From somewhere there were forces. In the morning I crawled out of the hole, began to scour the empty German dugouts, found frozen like a stone, potatoes, made a fire, cooked a brew in a helmet and, having filled my belly, I felt self-confidence. From that moment my rebirth began. Appeared defensive reactions, energy appeared. There was a gut feeling, telling how to behave. There is a snap. I began to get grub. Then he chopped horseflesh with an ax from the thigh of a killed German batyuga – he froze from the cold. That found an abandoned potato pit. Once a mine was killed by a passing horse. Twenty minutes later, only the mane and entrails remained, as craftsmen like me instantly cut the meat into pieces. The driver did not even have time to recover, and remained sitting in a sleigh with the reins in his hand. Another time, we were marching along the road, and suddenly, ahead of us, the projectile turned over the kitchen. Buckwheat gruel spilled on the snow. Immediately, without saying a word, everyone took out the spoons and the feast began! But the movement on the road can not be stopped! A cart carrying hay, a truck, went through the porridge, and we all ate and ate while there was what was left … I collected breadcrumbs and crusts near warehouses, kitchens – in a word, I got food where I could … "
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