During the Second World War, a lot of new weapons were invented, tested and applied, some of which are still very famous. But there was also a weapon that did not find due fame. Below is a weapon that you most likely have not heard of. It will be not about developments, but about directly used weapons
V-1, V-2 and V-3 (V-3 is also called "Centipede" and "English gun") - these are Nazi projects under the general name "Weapon of Retribution". The V-3 is a huge artillery piece built on a hill and capable of bombarding London from across the English Channel while in France. The gun had a total length of 124 m, and the gun barrel consisted of 32 sections 4.48 m long; each section had two charging chambers located along the barrel and at an angle to it. During the test in May 1944, the gun showed a firing range of 88 kilometers, and during the tests in July 1944, the flight of the projectile was 93 kilometers. Two V-3 guns were built, and only one of them was put into practice. From January 11 to February 22, 1945, about 183 shots were fired. The target was Luxembourg, recently liberated from the Nazis. But the gun only demonstrated its inefficiency. 143 shells reached the target, with which, fortunately, only 10 people were killed, and 35 were injured.
Super-heavy railway artillery pieces "Dora" and "Gustav"
The Nazis definitely had a quirk about big guns. These two 807mm guns were gigantic. And in fact, they were the largest guns in the world. Each of them could only be transported in parts, then they had to be assembled and installed on pre-prepared platforms - all these procedures required about 4,000 people. The Nazis deployed a full-fledged anti-aircraft regiment to protect the guns, and the troops special purpose protected them from partisans. Only "Gustav" was used in the case. This gun fired 42 shots during the siege of Sevastopol in 1942. The destructive power of his huge projectiles (each weighing 4800 kg) was enough to destroy the ammunition depot, which was protected by a 30-meter rock. There were plans to use rockets with this weapon that could hit targets at a distance of 145 kilometers. Weapons expert Alexander Ludeke called the guns a "technological masterpiece" but also said it was "a waste of money." work force and materials."
rat bombs
After the surrender of France, Winston Churchill promised to "set fire to Europe". After that, British special agents adopted various camouflaged explosive devices that would surprise even James Bond. The bombs were disguised as soap, boots, bottles of wine, suitcases and even rats.
Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka
To increase the effectiveness of the kamikaze, the Japanese launched the Ohka in 1944, a projectile piloted by a suicide pilot. This jet, specially designed for kamikaze, was equipped with 1.2-ton warheads. These aircraft were transported by the Mitsubishi G4M bomber. When the target came into range, Ohka separated from the bomber, the pilot flew as close to the target as possible, then started the jet engines and crashed into the set target with great speed. The troops of the anti-Hitler coalition quickly learned to neutralize the bombers before the projectiles separated from them, which nullified their effectiveness. But still, one case was recorded when Ohka sank an American destroyer.
Soviet anti-tank dogs
When our troops were in an extremely difficult position on the Eastern Front, we had to look for new desperate means of combat - including the use of the so-called anti-tank dogs. These dogs were specially trained to deliver a bomb to the required target, activate it with their mouths and run back. Unfortunately, very rarely the dogs were able to perform the required tasks correctly, so a more primitive strategy had to be adopted - just blow up the dogs. These suicide dogs were trained to find food on the bottom of the tank. Therefore, they were deliberately kept hungry, 12-kilogram bombs were tied to them and released at the necessary targets. They ran up to the tanks, trying to find food, unaware of their future fate. When the dog ran under the bottom of the tank, the bomb was activated by a fixed lever that hit the tank. Thus, the dogs performed their tasks quite effectively, so some Germans got into the habit of shooting at any dogs in sight. During the war, our army used about 40,000 dogs to carry out military tasks. According to undocumented estimates, about 300 enemy tanks were destroyed in this way.
Hobart's "toys": As part of the preparations for the operation of the Allied forces to land troops in Normandy, a lot of unusual equipment was developed, some of which were named after military expert Percy Hobart. Here are some examples of this technique - Sherman Crab
AVRE Bridgelayer
Radio-controlled bomb FritzXRuhustahlSD 1400
This bomb was designed to destroy heavily armored naval targets and was developed on the basis of the SD 1400 armor-piercing bomb, but featured improved aerodynamics, four 1.3-meter wings and a tail section. But the bomb had to be dropped directly over the target, which created an additional threat to the bomber. It was a very formidable weapon against the anti-Hitler coalition. On September 9, 1943, the Germans dropped several of these bombs on the battleship Roma, sinking her with 1,455 people on board. The bombs also sank the British cruiser Spartan, the destroyer Janus, the light cruiser Newfoundland, and damaged many other ships. In total, about two thousand of these bombs were produced, but about 200 were used. The big problem was that the bombs could only fall strictly vertically, which created difficulties for the bombers, who suffered heavy losses.
Guided aerial bomb HenschelHs 293
This bomb was one of the most effective in World War II, sinking and damaging many destroyers and merchant ships. After the release, the rocket booster dispersed the bomb for 10 seconds, then the planning stage began towards the target, using radio command control. A beacon was installed on the tail of the bomb so that the gunner could monitor its location and flight, both day and night. It was first used in August 1943, when the British sloop Egret was sunk. Toward the end of the war, the troops of the anti-Hitler coalition learned to intercept its radio frequencies and interfere with radio control, which significantly reduced the effectiveness of these bombs. Non-rotating projectiles This is one of those ideas that looks good on paper but is terrible in practice. Non-rotating projectiles are a British invention, anti-aircraft launchers that fired projectiles that exploded in the air and released parachutes and wire with small bombs on the ends. The idea was to create a small air minefield. The plane caught on wires, attracted bombs to itself, and they exploded. The problem is that a strong wind could blow this trap off right place(for example, back to the salvo installation itself). But, despite this, this weapon was widely used in the early days of the war.
midget submarines
These tiny four-person submarines, invented by the Italians, could swim up to 2,000 kilometers, dive to a depth of 100 meters, and sail at speeds up to 6 knots. The displacement of such submarines was only 30 tons. They had only one hatch, which created big problems in emergency situations.
Self-propelled mine "Goliath"
For the first time, such devices were used by the Germans in 1942 to deliver 75-kilogram bombs to the target (most often these were tanks, dense infantry concentrations, bridges or buildings). The tankette was controlled by a wire at a distance and exploded when approaching the target. 4600 of these self-propelled mines were made, including an enlarged version that could carry 100-kilogram bombs. Unfortunately for the Germans, these devices were very slow, poorly controlled and had a low payload. But the idea itself was clearly ahead of its time. "Goliaths" are a kind of predecessor of some modern robots, but at that time the technology for them was simply not developed enough.
A selection of infrequently flashed photos, some of them are associated with interesting stories.
In March 1974, 29 years after the end of World War II, Japanese intelligence officer and officer Hiro Onoda surrendered on the island of Lubang, Philippines. After being relieved of duty by his commander, he turned in a samurai sword, a rifle with 500 rounds, and several hand grenades. Onoda was sent to Lubang in 1944 with the task of joining the reconnaissance group operating on the island and leading guerrilla war against the Americans. The allies took over the island, three of Onoda's comrades died in battle, and the four surviving members of the group went into the jungle and made raids from there. Several times they dropped leaflets and letters from relatives, but they did not believe the "propaganda". In 1950, one of Onoda's comrades surrendered. By 1972, two more soldiers had been killed in clashes with Filipino patrols, leaving Onoda alone. In 1974, Onoda stumbled upon the Japanese naturalist Norio Suzuki, from whom he learned about the end of the war and through whom Onoda was found by his commander and ordered to surrender. Behind long years the guerrilla group killed 30 Filipinos and wounded about a hundred, but President Marcos pardoned Onoda, and he returned to Japan. Hiro Onoda passed away on January 17, 2013 at the age of 91.
A shell hit a boat with Australians.
The result of a 152-mm ISU-152 projectile hitting the Pz.IV turret.
German dive bomber Ju-87D on the assembly line.
English Beaufighter attack aircraft attack German destroyers with missiles at the mouth of the Gironde River.
The homemade mirror on the canopy of the German Bf-109E fighter is a British solution that allows German fighter pilots to control the rear hemisphere. So, by the way, for some reason, until the end of the war, it did not go into series.
A falling B5N2 "Kate" torpedo bomber is captured by a gunner from a PB4Y "Liberator" naval bomber over the sea near Truk. In the rear cockpit, a torpedo gunner is visible, who, according to Lieutenant Commander William Janeshek, the pilot of the Liberator, first tried to get out of the burning car, then suddenly returned back, sat on his seat and died along with the plane.
Gunner of the tail point of the heavy German bomber He-177.
The tail cone of the German reconnaissance aircraft Fw-189.
German technicians serve the Me-410 heavy twin-engine fighter. A remote-controlled barbette with a removed casing and a heavy 13 mm MG 131 machine gun is clearly visible.
The cockpit of the largest transport aircraft of that time - the German Me-323.
A Japanese aerial bomb explodes on the deck of the aircraft carrier Enterprise during the battle off the Eastern Solomon Islands. The author of the picture - Robert Reid - died the second he pressed the shutter button.
Lieutenant A.I. Gridinsky (far left) and his comrades in the 144th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment near the Il-2 attack aircraft.
Deputy Commander of the Guards Squadron, Lieutenant Alexander Ivanovich Gridinsky (09/14/1921 - 06/07/1944) on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War since June 1942. In less than 2 years at the front, Gridinsky made 156 sorties, saved the life of his commander, personally destroyed 20 enemy aircraft, 35 tanks, 3 anti-aircraft batteries, 90 vehicles, 4 gas tanks with fuel, crossing the Dnieper.
On 06/07/1944 Gridinsky's lone plane was attacked over its airfield by four German fighters. As a result of the battle, having shot down one of the attackers, Gridinsky was shot down himself and his attack aircraft fell on the edge of the airfield. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 6, 1965, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the struggle against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, Alexander Ivanovich Gridinsky was posthumously awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union.
Flagship (regiment commander's plane) air gunner of the Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft, foreman P. Shulyakov. In the foreground is a 12.7 mm UBT machine gun (universal Berezina turret).
Inside the hull of the Geschutzwagen (GW) VI Tiger self-propelled guns (World of Tanks players pee with boiling water).
Hull Geschutzwagen (GW) VI Tiger.
Technicians zeroing in on the wing cannons on the tropical version of the Emil.
Pearl Harbor, 1945
Actor Damian Lewis ("Band of Brothers") and Major Richard Winters.
Inside B-17.
Aerial view of the bombings during the bombardment over Poland in September 1939.
One of the few photos of a real downed B-29. The plane was attacked by a Japanese Ki-45, lost two engines, on the way to the base over the ocean the wing tank caught fire, and the crew jumped out with parachutes and was rescued in full force.
Preparing "Comet" for departure.
B-24J-150-CO Liberator, 854th BS, 491st BG, 8th AF, 18 September 1944. Dropped food and ammunition to the paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions and was hit by anti-aircraft guns. The pilot tried to land the plane on its belly, but at the last moment both right engines failed, and the plane hit the ground, the pilot managed to level it, but the plane hit the trees at the end of the field and exploded. One person survived, all the rest died.
A battery of Soviet Guards mortars firing at enemy positions in Budapest. 1945
Cruiser "Mikuma" after a raid by American aircraft.
The sinking of the aircraft carrier Zuikaku.
A bomb hit the battleship Yamato.
"Haruna" under the bombs.
A direct hit by a B-25 bomb on a Japanese patrol ship.
Western Ukraine.
Damaged and dismantled for parts "Royal Tiger".
US-issued flyer with possible changes to Hitler's appearance.
38 cm RW61 auf Sturmmörser Tiger.
Hungarian soldiers captured by units of the 144th Infantry Regiment of the 49th Guards Rifle Division. Veteran of this division V.V. Wojciechowicz, in his interview, mentions an exceptional case that occurred at the beginning of 1945 in Hungary. According to him, units of the 144th Infantry Regiment were captured by a group of about sixty Hungarian soldiers and officers who turned to the command of the regiment with an unusual request. In exchange for being immediately released, these Hungarians offered ... to recapture from the Germans either a village or a town, which was located in front of the positions of the 144th regiment.
The proposal was so unusual that even the commander of the division, Vasily Filippovich Margelov, known for his independence in making decisions (later the legendary commander of the USSR Airborne Forces), did not dare to approve this, and turned to the command. The request went up the chain, and only the commander of the 46th Army, Petrushevsky, personally gave permission for this. And these Hungarians really captured this settlement, destroying many Germans in the process ... I had to keep my word, and these Hungarians were immediately sent home.
The photo shows these same Hungarians before that battle.
P-47D-10 (No. 42-23038) from 73 Squadron 318 Group 7 of the Air Fleet (pilot Lt Eubanks Barnhill) takes off from the deck of the Manila Bay EA to intercept 4 Japanese dive bombers attacking a group of ships. January 23, 1944 Thanks solely to a fortunate combination of circumstances (headwind, half-empty deck, almost empty tanks and only a few dozen rounds in the outermost machine guns of the machine), the Thunderbolt managed to take off and even shoot down one D3A and damage the second. Under normal circumstances, this would not be possible.
Trophy Ferdinand.
On February 14, 1945, 62 B-17 bombers from the US Eighth Air Force "accidentally" dropped 152 tons of bombs on Prague.
Consequences of detonation of ammunition.
Jet Jumo-004, installed on the Me-262.
Main gun salvo of the battleship Missouri. Projectiles are visible.
Dornier Do 217 with a Henschel Hs-293 glide bomb.
A Soviet self-propelled artillery mount ISU-152 completely destroyed after an explosion of ammunition. The self-propelled guns were destroyed during the battle of Tali-Ihantala (June 25 - July 9, 1944) on the Karelian Isthmus.
A torpedo hit the British escort destroyer Berkeley.
Soviet soldier with a Czech child in his arms. The kid examines the Order of Glory on the chest of a fighter. Prague, May 1945
"Royal Tiger" with installed, in the absence of an 88-mm gun, a 75-mm gun from the "Panther".
Solemn formation of the personnel of 144SP 49SD, May 1945. The photo is notable for the fact that many fighters wear German helmets, because their own were lost in battle.
Replacing the rollers undercarriage "Panther". Most accurately, this operation can be described as a stormy and prolonged sex, accompanied by loud and, which is typical, completely sincere wishes addressed to the designer.
“Nevertheless, the Tigers were an extremely dangerous adversary, but, fortunately, they still had one weak point. This place was their undercarriage ... There are countless epithets that the brutal German mechanics awarded engineer Knipkamp, changing rollers on a monstrous colossus. Since it took up to a day to replace one roller from the inner row, many could not stand it, foamed at the mouth and rushed at the Tiger with a crowbar, beating an innocent car for anything. could not only eat from the plates, but also see them.The sight of a stack of plates could bring a heart attack to a seasoned warrior who went through the Russian campaign and prisoner of war camps.Monstrous in terms of size and cruelty, a fight between Luftwaffe and Panzerwaffe officers that took place in a bar in May 1944 "Drei Ferkels und Sieben Gnomen Bar" in Berlin, a fight that put two geschwaders and one schwerepantserabtelung out of action for three months occurred due to a seemingly committed no innocent joke. The SS Standartenführer, who was drinking with the pilots, on their behalf sent a pile of plates stacked in a checkerboard pattern to the tankmen's table ... The investigation carried out did not establish the identity of the Standartenfuehrer. The Luftwaffe officers in the hospital recalled that his name was Otto, Otto von ... they could not remember further. However, everyone agreed that he reminded them of someone. As a result, the tankers and pilots were separated with the help of fire hoses, and the fighters did not even notice the raid of thousands of American bombers that had taken place.
A little more "German porn".
American 914-mm (36-inch) "Kid David" recoilless mortar. It was created to fight the Japanese fortifications. Shooting was carried out with 1678-kg shells at a distance of up to 8.7 km. Successfully passed the tests, but was not used in a real battle.
Transport Junkers under attack by an allied bomber.
The Allies used captured Germans to clear minefields, which was contrary to the Geneva Convention. We did not treat prisoners in this way, although, it should be noted, not at all because of considerations of humanity.
A Japanese prisoner of war listens to a broadcast of Emperor Hirohito's speech about Japan's surrender.
And again some real German porn.
Nibelwerfer volley in Warsaw.
V-1 flew to the target.
The Japanese "pecked" an American tank.
"Tirpitz" on the side. The picture was taken from a British intelligence officer.
"Betty" come in for a torpedo attack.
Adjustment of the wing armament of a Ju-87 "Stuka" dive bomber.
Captured Red Army soldiers. 1941 year.
A captured Red Army soldier from an assault detachment.
Non-111 at the exit from a torpedo attack.
Captured Pe-2 in the Finnish Air Force, bought from Germany.
The death of the British landing fire support ship LCG (M) 101. 1944.
American top-masts drown Japanese Kaibokan S-class guards.
Cruiser "Red Caucasus", December 29, 1941
A 150-mm projectile pierced the frontal armor of the 2nd main gun turret and exploded inside. Despite the death of the calculation and the resulting fire, the cruiser remained in battle. The tower returned to service in an hour and a half.
Burnt out and dismantled german tank Pz.Kpfw.III on Tigris Street in Budapest.
A 600 mm Karl Gerät 040 "Ziu" mortar shell hit the Prudential building, Warsaw, 08/28/1944. The shell exploded from the outside, otherwise the skyscraper would have collapsed. After the war, the building was rebuilt and since 1954 it has been known as the Warsaw Hotel.
The crew of the Sherman desperately wants to live by welding pieces of Panther armor onto their tank. The car became monstrously heavy.
In fact, one would be enough. But the Germans, apparently, were just training.
In the photo, a Lithuanian self-defender finishes off wounded Jews with a crowbar. A young man, about 16 years old, with his sleeves rolled up, was armed with an iron crowbar. A man from a nearby group of people was brought to him, and he killed him with one or more blows to the back of the head. In this way, in less than an hour, he killed all 45-50 people ... After everyone was killed, the young man put the crowbar aside, went for the accordion and climbed onto the bodies of the dead lying nearby. Standing on the mountain, he began to play Lithuanian National anthem. The behavior of the civilians standing around, among whom were women and children, was incredible - after each blow with a crowbar they applauded, and when the killer played the Lithuanian anthem, the crowd picked him up.
A prisoner from the assault squads. In the protective breastplate, traces of bullets fired from a submachine gun are visible. Protected from bullets, but did not save from captivity ...
In the photo, General Patton, angry with a conversation with a tank commander. Patton was against mutilation appearance tanks with foreign objects, they say, in the army everything should be uniform. And the tank commander answered him that, they say, with all due respect, sir, I should fight on it. Patton had nothing to say, and this infuriated him.
In the spring of 1940, a courageous Germany established itself as a conqueror of nations, successfully conquering six countries in less than 100 days. In April 1940, Germany invaded Denmark, which capitulated in just six hours. At the same time, Nazi ships and troops entered Norwegian waters, attacking ships and infantry, starting a conflict that would last two months. On May 10, more than two million German soldiers on land and in the air invaded France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands using blitzkrieg tactics. Small countries fell in a few weeks, but France held out until June 22, after which an armistice was signed. Also during this period, the Soviet Union held elections in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, annexing them by force to its territory. By the end of the summer the German forces were deepening, disorganized and planning the Battle of Britain. Part 1 and part 2 of the general issue can be viewed here and here, respectively.
1. A German armored tank crosses the River Aisne in France on June 21, 1940, the day before the surrender of the country. (AP Photo)
2. German paratroopers land on snow-covered rocks in the Norwegian port city of Narvik during the German invasion of the Scandinavian countries. (AP Photo)
3. The consequences of the naval battle in Narvik in 1940. Several battles between German and Norwegian troops took place in Ofotfjord in the spring of 1940. (LOC)
4. A group of German soldiers from the mountain rifle troops in Narvik in 1940. (Deutsches Bundesarchiv/German Federal Archive)
5. German soldiers in a burning Norwegian village in April 1940. (AP Photo)
6. Members of the British Air Force April 22, 1940 on their return to base from the operation to bomb German warships off Bergen, Norway. (AP Photo)
7. The observer on the roof of a building in London against the backdrop of St. Paul's Cathedral. (National Archives)
8. Missing German bombs at sea during an air attack on Dover, England, in July 1940. (AP Photo)
9. Members of the Black Watch - one of the famous Scottish regiments - during the exercises in England in 1940. Prepared new paratroopers. (AP Photo)
10. The Irish Fusiliers of the British Expeditionary Force came to the aid of the French peasants, whose horses were taken into the army. A tank with a plow was used to plow the land. The photo was taken on March 27, 1940. (AP Photo)
11. Belgians escort their husbands and sons to the front during the looming threat of an invasion of their country on May 11, 1940. (AP Photo)
12. German Junkers Yu-87 dive bombers over unknown territory on May 29, 1940. (AP Photo)
13. German soldier with anti-aircraft guns during the German invasion of Denmark on April 9, 1940. (AP Photo)
15. German paratroopers over Fort Eben Emael in Belgium on May 30, 1940 during a surprise attack. (AP Photo)
16. French soldiers load a cannon in the woods somewhere on the Western Front on May 29, 1940. The projectile will fly into Nazi-occupied French lands. (AP Photo)
18. German paratroopers with a machine gun in the Netherlands June 2, 1940. This photo was found in a camera German paratrooper who was taken prisoner. (AP Photo)
19. The Belgians blew up this bridge across the Meuse River in the city of Dinant, but soon German sappers erected a wooden bridge next to the ruins. (AP Photo)
20. A woman who fled from her home with the few things she could carry hides behind a tree by the road, somewhere in Belgium on May 18, 1940, during the air bombardment of the country by the Germans. Her bicycle with things is standing next to the tree. (AP Photo)
21. Hundreds of thousands of British and French soldiers fleeing German forces gathered on Dunkirk beach on June 4, 1940, waiting for ships to take them to England. (AP Photo)
22. British and French troops in shallow water near the beach in Dunkirk, France, June 13, 1940, go to the ships that will take them to England. About 700 private vessels joined dozens of warships to take soldiers across the strait. (AP Photo)
23. Representatives of the British Expeditionary Army arrived home safe and sound after the Battle of Flanders on June 6, 1940. Over 330,000 soldiers were rescued from Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo. (AP Photo)
25. Consequences of the British retreat at Flanders, Belgium, 31 July 40th. Dead English soldiers in their cars. (AP Photo)
26. English and French prisoners of war on the side of the road somewhere in Belgium in 1940. (Deutsches Bundesarchiv German Federal Archive)
28. Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Severely wounded in the head, arm and leg, the Dutchman looks with horror at the dismembered corpse of his little daughter. (LOC)
29. Dead German soldier - one of the thousands who died during the invasion of France. (AP Photo)
31. A girl with a British flag greets Canadian soldiers after they landed in France on June 18. (AP Photo)
32. Some of the 350 British refugee children who arrived in New York, July 8, 1940, aboard the British liner Samaria. This was the first group of children sent from England, away from the war. (AP Photo/Becker)
33. German soldiers on an empty street in Luxembourg on May 21 with rifles, pistols and grenades, ready for defense. (AP Photo)
34. Flying bombs of the British Air Force during the shelling of the Abbeville airfield captured by the Germans in France on July 20. (AP Photo)
35. Refugees leave their destroyed homes in Belgium after the bombing of the Nazis on May 19. (AP Photo)
36. Nazis on a motorcycle in a ruined town in France. (Deutsches Bundesarchiv/German Federal Archive)
37. A crowd of women, children and soldiers with the branded Nazi salute on June 19. (AP Photo)
38. Civilian victims of German shelling near Antwerp, Belgium, June 13. These men were on their way to work when German planes swept overhead, shooting at them and leaving them to die in a wheat field. (AP Photo)
39. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspects the Grenadier Guards in July 40th. (AP Photo)
40. A soldier sets up an explosive mechanism that will blow up a bridge to delay Nazi troops in the Belgian region of Leuven on June 1, 1940. Soon this area capitulates to the German troops. (AP Photo)
41. Tandem with a Belgian family of four and belongings during the flight of citizens from France on June 14, 1940. (AP Photo)
42. Adolf Hitler in Paris in the background eiffel tower the day after the official surrender of France on June 23, 1940. The Fuhrer is accompanied by Reich Minister for Armaments and War Industry Albert Speer (left) and professor of graphics in Berlin and Hitler's favorite sculptor Arno Breker. (AP Photo/German War Department)
43. French destroyer "Mogador" on fire after shelling during the British operation "Catapult" July 3, 1940. After France signed a peace treaty with Germany, the British government decided to destroy everything that was left of French Navy trying to prevent the Germans from getting the ships. As a result of the operation, several ships were damaged, one sank, and 1,297 soldiers died. (Jacques Mulard/CC-BY-SA)
44. Mortars of the Nazi army in positions under the cliffs on the French side of the English Channel during the German occupation of France. (AP Photo)
45. A German soldier on the tower of the cathedral over the captured French city of Strasbourg on July 15, 1940. Adolf Hitler arrived in the country in June 40th, claiming Strasbourg by himself, announcing that it should become "the national refuge of the German people." (AP Photo)
The results of the Second World War led to major political changes in the international arena, the gradual development of a trend towards cooperation between states with different social systems. In order to prevent new world conflicts, to create a security system and cooperation between countries in the post-war period, the United Nations (UN) was created at the end of the war, the Charter of which was signed on June 26, 1945 in San Francisco by 50 states (USSR, USA, Great Britain, China). and others).
Second World War was the largest military conflict in human history. More than 60 states with a population of 1.7 billion people took part in it; military operations took place on the territory of 40 of them. The total number of fighting armies amounted to 110 million people, military spending - 1384 billion dollars. The scale of human losses and destruction turned out to be unprecedented.
More than 46 million people died in the war, including 12 million in death camps:
The USSR lost more than 26 million, Germany - approx. 6 million, Poland - 5.8 million, Japan - approx. 2 million, Yugoslavia - approx. 1.6 million, Hungary - 600 thousand, France - 570 thousand, Romania - approx. 460 thousand, Italy - approx. 450 thousand, Hungary - approx. 430 thousand, USA, Great Britain and Greece - 400 thousand each, Belgium - 88 thousand, Canada - 40 thousand. Material damage is estimated at 2600 billion dollars.
The terrible consequences of the war have strengthened the global tendency to unite in order to prevent new military conflicts, the need to create a more effective system of collective security than the League of Nations. Its expression was the establishment in April 1945 of the United Nations.
Photo archive:
SS soldiers during the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising. Armed with an MP-40 submachine gun and shortened Mauser 98K rifles. 1944 Warsaw Poland
A Soviet civilian convoy bombed by German aircraft. Photo taken in the area railway station Khutor Mikhailovsky (now - the city of Druzhba, Yampolsky district, Sumy region of Ukraine). Ukraine, USSR
Statement of a combat mission for a German infantry unit near Moscow. 1941
The first Soviet commandant's patrol in Berlin. May 1945 Berlin, Germany.
A Soviet soldier walks past a murdered SS-Hauptsturmfführer in Berlin at the crossroads of Shossestrasse and Oranienburger Strasse. April-May 1945 Berlin, Germany
A Hungarian tanker next to a 38M tankette (CV35 of the Italian company Ansaldo, purchased by Hungary).
One of the Japanese coastal pillboxes that covered the Kataoka naval base on Shumshu Island. It is equipped with a 76 mm Type 41 naval gun. The picture was taken in August 1945, after the surrender of the Japanese. Shumshu Island, Kuril Islands
Soviet soldiers before the attack near Stalingrad. 1942 Author: Emanuil Evzerikhin
Underground plant for the production of mortar mines in Sevastopol. 1942 Sevastopol
Marines Black Sea Fleet read newspapers. 1942 Sevastopol
German heavy tank Pz.Kpfw. VI "Tiger" with tactical number "211" from the 503rd tank battalion, in the Belgorod region. german offensive"Citadel". 08/01/1943 Author: Bernd Lohse
German soldiers and a damaged (no roller) tank Pz.Kpfw. IV of the 15th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht in the area of Mersa Matruh. June 1942
Night attack of Soviet T-34 tanks. Flares are used for illumination.
German soldiers next to a burning Soviet village. 1941
Soviet officer (captain) at the wrecked German tank Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. H "Tiger". April 1945
Fighters of the Leningrad Front after a hard battle. January-February 1944
Allied Victory Parade in Berlin on September 7, 1945, dedicated to the end of World War II. A column of 52 Soviet heavy tanks IS-3 from the 2nd Guards tank army runs along the Charlottenburg highway.
In the Victory Parade on September 7, 1945, in addition to Soviet troops American, British and French troops, who were in Berlin to ensure the occupation of Germany, took part. The parade was hosted by Marshal G.K. Zhukov.
A front-line cameraman shoots a column of captured Germans in Stalingrad. The column moves along the banks of the Volga. 1943 Stalingrad
American B-17 bombers in flight against the background of the evening sky.
Senior political officer Yolkin reports on the current military situation to the tank crews of the 3rd Panzer Division. Two T-28 tanks with L-11 guns are visible in the background. July 1941
Residents of the Bulgarian town celebrate the liberation from the Nazis. The name of the person in the foreground is Kocha Karadzhev, a Bulgarian partisan. September 1944 Bulgaria. Author: Evgeny Khaldei
Fireworks on the grave of fellow pilots who died near Sevastopol on April 24, 1944.
The inscription on the tombstone from a fragment of the aircraft stabilizer: “Here are buried those who died in the battles for Sevastopol, Major Ilyin - attack pilot and air gunner of the guard, Senior Sergeant Semchenko. Buried by comrades on May 14, 1944. The photo was taken in the suburbs of Sevastopol.
Machine gunner V. Pavlov with a light machine gun DP at the firing line near Leningrad. October 1942 Author: Vsevolod Tarasevich
An American B-25 "Mitchell" bomber from the 500th Squadron of the 345th Bombardment Group, having dropped a bomb (the bomb is visible in flight), leaves the attack on a Japanese CH-39 submarine hunter. February 16, 1944 Three Island Harbor, New Hanover, New Ireland
Lunch Soviet soldiers on the streets of a German city. 1945
A volley of BM-13 Katyusha Guards rocket launchers on the chassis of American Stedebaker trucks (Studebaker US6). Carpathian region, western Ukraine. 1944 Author: Arkady Shaikhet
Partisans of the Kotovsky detachment are returning from a combat mission. 1943 Author: Mikhail Trakhman
Human remains in the Stutthof concentration camp crematorium oven. Location: near Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland). May 1945 Author: Mark Markov-Grinberg
A Soviet machine gunner covers the infantry attacking near Tula. November 1941
A group of flamethrowers from Major I.D. Skibinsky moves to a firing position. The fighters are armed with ROKS-3 backpack flamethrowers. 1st Ukrainian front. 1945 Breslau, Germany
Soldiers of the assault battalion from the part of Colonel Zalichansky, on the ruins of a tram depot in the capital of Lower Silesia - the city of Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland). 1st Ukrainian Front. March 1945 Breslau, Germany. Author: Rafail Mazelev
Former Reich Minister of Aviation Hermann Goering in the hall of the Nuremberg Tribunal. 1945 Nuremberg, Germany. Author: Evgeny Khaldei
During the liberation of the city of Karachev, ordinary Shirobokov met his sisters who had escaped death. Their father and mother were shot by the Germans. 1943 Karachev, Bryansk region. Author: Arkady Shaikhet
After battle. The Soviet KV-1C (high-speed) tank that shot down a German tank column and its dead tanker. Voronezh front. January-February 1943
Attack of the Soviet soldiers of the Southwestern Front with the support of BT-7 tanks. 1942
Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II at the christening ceremony (rechristening) of the B-17G bomber aircraft of the 306th bomber group. The bomber was renamed "Rose of York" in honor of the House of York, one of the branches of the English royal Plantagenet dynasty, which ruled from 1461 to 1485: White Rose is their family crest.
The aircraft was later lost in the North Sea after a raid on Bremen. July 1944
Soviet soldiers in a Berlin tram. The author's title of the picture is "The first "passengers" of the Berlin tram." May 1945 Berlin, Germany.
The released child prisoners of Buchenwald leave the main gate of the camp, accompanied by american soldiers. 04/17/1945 Buchenwald, Germany
A British soldier leaves his autograph among the autographs of Soviet soldiers inside the Reichstag. 1945 Berlin, Germany
American soldier with various weapons of the US Army.
Pictured (counterclockwise):
1. Self-propelled howitzer NMS M7. Given the prefabricated nose piece (not solid) and the lack of drop-down sides of the wheelhouse, this cannot be a later M7B1 model. The familiar name "Priest" does not fit, as it was used in the UK, and not in the USA. On the turret is a 12.7-mm (50-caliber) Browning M2HB machine gun.
2. 37 mm M3 anti-tank gun.
3. Easel 7.62-mm (30th caliber) machine gun "Browning" М1919А4.
4. Submachine gun "Thompson" М1928А1.
5. Automatic rifle Browning М1918А2 (BAR).
6. "Browning" М1917А1. Like the M1919, a 7.62 mm heavy machine gun.
7. 60-mm mortar M2.
8. 81-mm mortar M1.
In the inner circle - a self-loading M1 carbine, a Springfield M1903 rifle and a Colt M1911 A1 pistol; in the hands of a soldier - a self-loading rifle Garand M1.
Liberation Soviet soldiers surviving prisoners of the Auschwitz concentration camp (Auschwitz). Above the gate of the camp is visible the famous sign-slogan "Arbeit macht frei" (Arbeit macht frei), which means - "Work sets you free." The concentration camp was occupied on January 27, 1945 by units of the 100th Infantry Division of General F.M. Krasavina (1st Ukrainian Front). February 1945 Author: Boris Ignatovich
Sniper of the 203rd Infantry Division (3rd Ukrainian Front) Senior Sergeant Ivan Petrovich Merkulov at the firing position. In March 1944, Ivan Merkulov was awarded the highest award - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, during the war years the sniper destroyed more than 144 enemy soldiers and officers. 1943 Ukraine, USSR. Author: Dmitry Baltermants
Anti-aircraft gun (85-mm model 1939) against the background of St. Isaac's Cathedral in besieged Leningrad. Author: Nikolai Khandogin
A column of German prisoners of war under the escort of Soviet soldiers.
Arrival of prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp. The guards form a column of prisoners. In the distance, the already formed column is moving towards crematoria 2 and 3. Behind the column closest to the viewer, the belongings of the prisoners are being loaded onto a truck.
Night anti-aircraft fire from the American airfield on Okinawa. The silhouettes of F4U Corsair fighters are visible in the foreground. 1945 Okinawa, Japan
Soviet female soldiers at the firing line. The girls are armed with 7.62 mm Mosin rifles with attached four-sided needle bayonets and a 7.62 mm PPSh-41 submachine gun.
London children look at their house destroyed after the German raid on the city on September 15, 1940.
English Beaufighter attack aircraft from the 236th and 404th squadrons of the Royal Air Force attack the German destroyers Z-24 and T-24 with missiles at the mouth of the Gironde River, near the port of Le Verdon (France). As a result of the attacks, both destroyers were sunk. Z-24 and T-24 at the time of the attack were the last two capital ships remaining with the Germans in the West. 08/24/1944 France
A Soviet officer checks the documents of surrendered German soldiers. Berlin, April-May 1945
German staff officers in the field near the aircraft Fi 156 "Storch" (Fieseler Fi 156 Storch)
Hungarian soldiers are interrogating a Soviet prisoner of war. The man in the cap and black jacket is supposedly a policeman. On the left is a Wehrmacht officer
A column of German infantry moves along the streets of Rotterdam during the invasion of Holland
Luftwaffe soldiers from the air defense unit work with a stereoscopic rangefinder Kommandogerät 36 (Kdo. Gr. 36). The rangefinder was used to control the fire of anti-aircraft batteries equipped with Flak 18 series guns.
German soldiers and civilians at the May 1 celebration in occupied Smolensk.
German soldiers and civilians at the celebration of May 1 in occupied Smolensk
German assault gun StuG III Ausf. G, belonging to the 210th Assault Gun Brigade (StuG-Brig. 210) moves past the positions of the 1st Marine Infantry Division (1. Marine-Infanterie-Division) in the Ceden area (currently the Polish town of Cedynia - Cedynia).
German tankers repairing the engine of the Pz.Kpfw. IV with a short-barreled 75 mm gun.
German tank Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H training tank division (Panzer-Lehr-Division), shot down in Normandy. In front of the tank lies a unitary high-explosive fragmentation shot Sprgr.34 (weight 8.71 kg, explosive - ammotol) to the 75-mm gun KwK.40 L / 48. The second shell lies on the body of the vehicle, in front of the turret.
A column of German infantry on the march on the Eastern Front. In the foreground, a soldier carries a 7.92 MG-34 machine gun on his shoulder.
Luftwaffe officers in front of a car in Nikolsky Lane in occupied Smolensk.
Employees of the organization Todt dismantle reinforced concrete French fortifications near Paris. France 1940
A girl from the village of the Belgorod region sits with a balalaika on the trunk of a fallen tree
German soldiers rest near an army truck "Einheitsdiesel" (Einheits-Diesel).
Adolf Hitler with German generals inspects the fortifications of the Western Wall (also called the "Siegfried Line"). With a map in hand, the commander of the border troops of the Upper Rhine, Infantry General Alfred Wäger (Alfred Wäger, 1883-1956), third from the right is the chief of staff of the Wehrmacht High Command, Colonel-General Wilhelm Keitel (Wilhelm Keitel, 1882-1946). Second from the right is Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945). A cameraman is standing on the parapet in a raincoat.
Church of the Transfiguration in occupied Vyazma.
Pilots of the 53rd Luftwaffe Fighter Squadron (JG53) at an airfield in France. In the background are Messerschmitt Bf.109E fighters.
Artillery officers of the Wehrmacht African Corps, photographed by the corps commander, Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel (Erwin Eugen Johannes Rommel).
Calculation of the Swedish-made 40-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun "Bofors" on the cover of the Finnish airfield Suulajärvi.
Vehicles of the Hungarian army on Vorovskogo Street in occupied Belgorod. On the right is the Polish-Lithuanian church.
Commander of the 6th by the German army Field Marshal Walter von Reichenau (October 8, 1884-January 17, 1942) stands near his staff car. Behind him stands the commander of the 297th Infantry Division, General of Artillery Max Pfeffer (Max Pfeffer, 06/12/1883-12/31/1955). There is a version according to which, according to the words of the Wehrmacht General Staff officer Paul Jordan (Paul Jordan), when in the first months of the war, during the offensive, the 6th Army collided with T-34 tanks, after a personal inspection of one of the tanks, von Reichenau told his officers : "If the Russians continue to produce these tanks, we will not win the war."
Finnish soldiers break camp in the forest before leaving their group. Petsamo Region
A salvo of 406-mm bow guns of the main caliber of the American battleship Missouri (Missouri (BB-63) during firing practice in the Atlantic..
Pilot of the 9th Squadron of the 54th Fighter Squadron (9.JG54) Wilhelm Schilling in the cockpit of a Messerschmitt Bf.109G-2 fighter at the Krasnogvardeysk airfield.
Adolf Hitler with guests at the table in his house in Obersalzberg. Pictured from left to right: Professor Morrel (Morrel), wife of Gauleiter Forster (Forster) and Hitler.
A group portrait of policemen against the backdrop of a temple in an occupied Soviet village.
A Hungarian soldier at the captured Soviet heavy artillery tractor "Voroshilovets".
Dismantled Soviet attack aircraft Il-2 in the occupied Ostrogozhsk, Voronezh region
Loading ammunition into the German assault gun StuG III. In the background is an ammunition carrier Sd.Kfz. 252 (leichte Gepanzerte Munitionskraftwagen).
Soviet prisoners of war are repairing the cobblestone pavement of the street before the parade of Finnish troops in the center of captured Vyborg.
Two German soldiers at a single 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun mounted on a Lafette 34 machine gun in a position in the Mediterranean
Gun crews with their 88-mm FlaK 36 anti-aircraft guns on the German artillery support ferry "Siebel" during the voyage to Lahdenpohja (Lahdenpohja).
German soldier digging a trench in the Belgorod region
Destroyed and burned German tank Pz.Kpfw. V "Panther" in the Italian village south of Rome
The commander of the 6th motorized infantry brigade (Schützen-Brigade 6), Major General Erhard Raus (Erhard Raus, 1889 - 1956) with officers of his headquarters.
Lieutenant and Oberleutnant of the Wehrmacht confer in the steppe on the southern sector of the Eastern Front.
German soldiers wash off winter camouflage from a Sd.Kfz half-track armored personnel carrier. 251/1 Ausf.C "Hanomag" (Hanomag) at the hut in Ukraine.
Luftwaffe officers walk past cars in Nikolsky Lane in occupied Smolensk. The Assumption Cathedral rises in the background.
A German motorcyclist poses with the Bulgarian children of the occupied village.
An MG-34 machine gun and a Mauser rifle at German positions near an occupied Soviet village in the Belgorod region (Kursk region at the time of this photo).
A German tank Pz.Kpfw, shot down in the valley of the Volturno River. V "Panther" with tail number "202"
Graves of German soldiers in Ukraine.
German cars at the Trinity Cathedral (Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity) in occupied Vyazma.
A column of captured Red Army soldiers in the ruined locality near Belgorod.
A German field kitchen is visible in the background. Next, the StuG III self-propelled guns and the Horch 901 car.
Colonel General Heinz Guderian (1888 - 1954) and SS Hauptsturmührer Michael Wittmann
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel at the Feltre airfield.
German road signs at the intersection of K. Marx and Medvedovsky (now Lenin) streets in the occupied Ostrogozhsk, Voronezh region
Wehrmacht soldier near road signs in occupied Smolensk. Behind the ruined building, the domes of the Assumption Cathedral are visible.
The inscriptions on the plate on the right side of the picture: Bridge (to the right) and Dorogobuzh (to the left).
A German sentry and a soldier (probably the driver) at the Mercedes-Benz 770 headquarters car near the Market Square in occupied Smolensk.
In the background is a view of Cathedral Hill with the Assumption Cathedral.
Wounded on the Eastern Front, a Hungarian soldier is resting after bandaging.
Soviet partisan executed by the Hungarian invaders in Stary Oskol. During the war, Stary Oskol was part of the Kursk region, at present it is part of the Belgorod region.
A group of Soviet prisoners of war sit on logs during a break during forced labor on the Eastern Front
Portrait of a Soviet prisoner of war in a shabby overcoat
Soviet captured soldiers at the assembly point on the Eastern Front.
Soviet soldiers with raised hands surrender in a wheat field.
German soldiers in Koenigsberg next to the MG 151/20 aircraft gun in the infantry version
The bombed-out historic center of the German city of Nuremberg
A Finnish soldier armed with a Suomi submachine gun in the battle for the village of Povenets.
Mountain rangers of the Wehrmacht against the backdrop of a hunting house.
Luftwaffe sergeant near the airfield. Presumably an anti-aircraft gunner.
Jet fighter Messerschmitt Me-262A-1a from the 3rd group of the 2nd combat training squadron of the Luftwaffe (III / EJG 2).
Finnish soldiers and German rangers are sailing in boats along the Lutto River (Lotta, Lutto-joki) in the Petsamo region (currently Pechenga, since 1944 part of the Murmansk region).
German soldiers are tuning the Torn.Fu.d2 radio station, a backpack VHF infantry radio station manufactured by Telefunken.
The crash site of the Re. 2000 Heja pilot István Horthy (István Horthy, 1904-1942, eldest son of Hungarian regent Miklós Horthy) from the 1/1 fighter squadron of the Hungarian Air Force. After takeoff, the plane lost control and crashed near the airfield near the village of Alekseevka, Kursk Region (now the Belgorod Region). The pilot is dead.
Citizens at the Annunciation Market in German-occupied Kharkov. In the foreground are artisan shoemakers repairing shoes.
Finnish troops at the parade at the monument to Swedish Marshal Thorgils Knutsson in captured Vyborg
Three marines 1st Kriegsmarine Division (1. marine-infanterie-division) in a trench on the bridgehead in the Zeden area (currently the Polish town of Cedynia - Cedynia).
German pilots look at peasant oxen at one of the airfields in Bulgaria. A Junkers Ju-87 dive bomber is visible behind. On the right is a Bulgarian officer of the ground forces.
Technique of the 6th German Panzer Division in East Prussia before the invasion of the USSR. In the center of the picture is the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D tank. An Adler 3 Gd car is visible in the background. In the foreground, parallel to the tank, is a Horch 901 Typ 40 vehicle.
Wehrmacht officer whistle gives the command to attack.
German officer on the street of occupied Poltava
German soldiers during street fighting. Medium tank Pzkpfw (Panzer Kampfwagen) III on the right
initially armed with 37s, and then with a 50-mm 1/42 cannon. However, their shots were
unable to penetrate the inclined armor protection of the Soviet T-34, as a result of which
the designers re-equipped the machine with a 50-mm KwK 39 L / 60 gun
(60 calibers versus 42) with a longer barrel, which made it possible to increase
the initial velocity of the projectile.
German staff car with a French flag on the hood, abandoned on the coast of France.
The photographs were taken on May 8, 1945 during the retreat of the 6th Wehrmacht Infantry Division in the Neustadt area near Tafelfichte in the Ore Mountains (Bohemia, modern Nové Město pod Smrkem, Czechoslovakia) and the Giant Mountains (Riesengebirge, Silesia, Czechoslovakia). Photos were taken German soldier who still had Agfa color film in his camera.
Retreating soldiers at rest. The emblem of the 6th Infantry Division is visible on the cart.
Adolf Hitler and German officers walking their dogs at Rastenburg headquarters. Winter 1942-1943.
German dive bombers Junkers Yu-87 (Ju.87B-1) in flight over the English Channel.
Soviet captured soldiers butcher a horse for meat in a village in the Kursk region.
Adolf Hitler takes the parade of German troops in Warsaw in honor of the victory over Poland. On the podium are Hitler, Colonel General Walther von Brauchitsch, Lieutenant General Friedrich von Kohenhausen, Colonel General Gerd von Rundstedt, Colonel General Wilhelm Keitel, General Johannes Blaskowitz and General Albert Kesselring and others.
German Horch-830R Kfz.16/1 vehicles are passing in the foreground.
German soldiers at the wrecked Soviet T-34 tank in the village of Verkhne-Kumsky
Oberfeldwebel of the Luftwaffe gives a coin to a gypsy girl on the island of Crete.
A German soldier inspects a Polish PZL.23 Karas bomber at the Okentse airfield
Destroyed bridge across the river Seim in Lgov, Kursk region. In the background is the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Parts of the Koll tank brigade (Panzer Brigade Koll) enter the Soviet village near Vyazma. The column consists of Pz.35(t) tanks.
German soldiers parse letters - they are looking for items addressed to them.
German soldiers at their dugout listening to their comrade play the accordion during a lull during the fighting in the Belgorod region
German dive bombers Junkers Ju-87 (Ju.87D) from the 7th Squadron of the 1st Dive Bomber Squadron (7.StG1) before taking off on the Eastern Front.
A column of German vehicles of the Koll tank brigade (Panzer Brigade Koll) moves along the road near Vyazma. In the foreground is the command tank Pz.BefWg.III of the brigade commander, Colonel Richard Koll. Phänomen Granit 25H ambulances are visible behind the tank. On the side of the road, towards the column is a group of Soviet prisoners of war.
A mechanized column of the 7th German Panzer Division (7. Panzer-Division) drives past a Soviet truck burning on the side of the road. In the foreground is the Pz.38(t) tank. Three Soviet prisoners of war are walking towards the column. Vyazma region.
German artillerymen are firing from the 210-mm Mrs.18 heavy field howitzer (21 cm Mörser 18) at the positions of the Soviet troops.
Oil leak from the engine of a German fighter Messerschmitt Bf.110C-5 from the 7th Squadron of the 2nd Training Squadron (7.(F)/LG 2). The picture was taken at the Greek airfield after the return of 7. (F) / LG 2 from a sortie to cover the landing on Crete.
Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, Commander of Army Group South, and General tank troops Hermann Breith, commander of the 3rd Panzer Corps, at a meeting at the map of military operations before Operation Citadel.
Destroyed Soviet tanks in a field near Stalingrad. Aerial photography from a German aircraft.
Polish prisoners of war captured during the Polish campaign of the Wehrmacht.
German soldiers at the assembly point, taken prisoner by the Allies during the Italian campaign.
German command tank Pz.BefWg.III from the Koll tank brigade (Panzer Brigade Koll) in a village near Vyazma. In the hatch of the tank turret is the brigade commander, Colonel Richard Koll.
