Great Patriotic War
Third Period [Jan 1944 - May 1945]
It should be noted that in the third period of the war (1944 – May 8, 1945) all operations of the Land Forces were made in the atmosphere of air supremacy of the Soviet Air Force, but intense struggle with enemy aircrafts continued until the defeat of Nazi Germany. Thus, the struggle for air superiority was an essential part of the warfare of the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany.
As a result of the crushing blows of the Soviet troops of the German fascist invaders were expelled from the Soviet Union. In the ensuing attack the USSR Armed Forces carried out a mission of liberation against Europe, played with the support of their peoples a decisive role in the liberation of Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria and other countries. The Anglo-American forces landed June 6, 1944 in Normandy, opening a second front, and launched an attack in Germany.
The third period of the war was characterized by a significant quantitative growth of the German armed forces, especially in the technical sense. This was the result of activities Speer , Milch , and others. In the framework of the military mobilization of German industry, which began in January 1942, but became serious to give results only in 1943-1944.
However, the quantitative growth due to the huge losses on the Eastern Front and the shortage of fuel for training pilots was accompanied by a decline in the quality level of the German armed forces. Therefore, the strategic initiative remained for the Soviet Union and its allies, and Germany losses increased significantly (it is believed that the reason was the loss of growth, including the growth and technical equipment of the Wehrmacht - became increasingly technology that could lose).
When the Western operation Pointblank was officially completed April 1, 1944, the Allied Air Forces were on their way to winning the air superiority over Europe. Although strategic bombing to some extent continued, Allied Air Force switched to tactical bombing in the framework of the Normandy landings. Only in mid-September 1944 the strategic bombing of Germany once again become a priority for the Air Force allies. Large-scale bombing around the clock - the US Air Force during the day, night, UK - was conducted against many industrial areas of Germany, mainly the Ruhr, followed by attacks directly on cities such as Kassel, Pforzheim, Mainz and the often criticized bombing of Dresden.
The Belorussian Offensive (codenamed Operation Bagration), which began on 22 June 1944, was a massive Soviet attack. At the points of attack, the numerical and quality advantages of the Soviets were overwhelming: the Red Army achieved a ratio of ten to one in tanks and seven to one in aircraft over the enemy. The Germans crumbled. On the Karelian Isthmus, the Soviets launched a massive attack against the Finnish lines on June 9, 1944, (coordinated with the Allied Invasion of Normandy). The Soviet attack was supported by a heavy artillery barrage, air bombardments and armored forces.
As a result of the victories by the Soviet aircrafts and air-defence artillery in the winter and spring of 1944 the Wehrmacht lost about five thousand aircraft. The 4th Air Force and 16th Air Army in the period from 29 June to 3 July made 4000 sorties, and the Long-Range Aviation – 3200 sorties. The Air Force of the Soviet Union entered 1945 at the height of its power. They outnumbered the Wehrmacht fleet by over 3 times.
In the winter of 1944-1945 on the Western Front, the Nazi troops during the Ardennes operation defeated the allied forces. To alleviate the situation of the Allies in the Ardennes, at their request, the Red Army began its winter offensive ahead of schedule. Restore the position to the end of January, the Allied forces during Operation Veritable (1945) crossed the Rhine River, and in April held Ruhr Pocket (1945), which ended with the capture of the environment and the large enemy force.
In April-May 1945, the Soviet Armed Forces defeated in the Berlin operation (1945) and the Prague operation (1945), the last group of German troops and met with the Allied forces. The war in Europe ended. May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered unconditionally. May 9, 1945 was the Day of Victory over Nazi Germany.
At the Berlin (Potsdam) Conference (1945) the Soviet Union confirmed its agreement to join the war against Japan. The US dropped the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 06 and 09 August 1945. On 08 August the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and on 09 August began military operations. During the Soviet-Japanese War (1945), Soviet troops crushed the Japanese Kwantung Army, eliminated hotbed of aggression in the Far East, liberated Northeast China, North Korea, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, thereby accelerating the end of the War.
Activity Air Force and Air Defense Forces in the Far East were highly appreciated by the military-political leadership of the Soviet Union. During the operation, the Air Force Red Army, there were more than 22 thousand. Sorties, transported by air to 16.5 thousand. Soldiers and officers, about 2780 tonnes of fuel, 563 tons of ammunition and 1,496 tons of various cargoes. The defeat of the Kwantung army and the loss of military and economic base in Northeast China and North Korea, Japan was deprived of real power and capacity to continue the war and forced her to sign the September 2, 1945 the instrument of surrender that led to the end of the second world war.
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