There is a Day of Remembrance and Sorrow in our country, a tragic date in the history of the country is June 22. In 1941, he divided the life of millions of Soviet people into before and after, where before is happiness, light, and are still alive, and after is the death of millions of people, the destruction of hundreds of cities, villages and towns, unbearable pain from the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis and their henchmen in the occupied territories.
What is June 22 for Russia?
Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Yeltsin B. N. dated June 8, 1996, No. 857 declared June 22 the Day of Memory and Sorrow. The events held on this day should preserve the memory of the new generation of Russian citizens about the terrible trials that befell the Soviet people. This is a day of commemoration of all those who died in battles, tortured to death in the death camps and dungeons of the Gestapo, who died of hunger, cold and disease.
This is a tribute to the memory of all those who, at the cost of their lives, gained the Victory, stood at the machines for days, worked in the field, at enterprises, spent whole days atoperating tables, rescuing the wounded, women and children, on whose shoulders lay the responsibility and care for their families. To all those who were starving and suffering from the cold, received funerals, suffered from the unknown about their loved ones and relatives. A tribute to all the Soviet people who saved our state and the world from fascist barbarians.
Where and how do they spend the day on June 22?
In cities, villages and towns, events are held for the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, they help to keep in the minds of people all the events of that terrible time. Nowadays, this is also necessary because there are many fictions about the events of the Second World War. They are intended to erase from the memory of the people the truth about the great Victory. This is done in order to belittle the crimes of the Nazis and present our people as occupiers who have conquered half of Europe.
We need the truth about the war
The rallies on June 22, the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, are designed to strengthen our spirit, unite all the people and remember that this helped the Soviet people survive in the terrible years of the war. We must treat the history of our country with pride and great respect. Do not seek out only some black facts, as is done in our time, but accept it as it is. We must remember that history does not accept the subjunctive mood.
Don't listen to those sitting on the couch thinking about what should have been done and what they think was done wrong. We need to respect what happened - this is our history. We need the truth about the war, in particular about its first dayfailures, unprecedented losses and disappointments.
It was this very first day that shattered the myth of the blitzkrieg, planted the germs of doubt in the Nazis, this can be understood from the words of Hitler, who said that we opened the door, but we do not know what is behind it, thwarted our hopes of reaching Moscow, as to Paris, in a few days. It was the heroism of the border guards and military personnel that made it possible to detain the Nazis in order to begin the evacuation of enterprises, to mobilize the population.
Start of war
At events dedicated to the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, they will definitely talk about the beginning of a terrible war. On this day, June 22, 1941, at 4.30, without declaring war, Nazi Germany launched an artillery strike on border fortifications and outposts in the area from the Carpathians to the B altic, after which the Nazi hordes crossed the state border. Before that, in the early morning, at 3.30, airstrikes were carried out on all strategic border facilities.
Cities such as Riga, Kaunas, Siauliai, Vilnius, Grodno, Lida, Brest, Minsk, Baranovichi, Zhitomir, Bobruisk, Sevastopol, Kyiv and many others were also bombarded from the air. In the first hours of the war, not understanding what was happening, a large number of peaceful Soviet people died.
It was the beginning of a terrible, hard and long road to Victory, a road full of losses, grief and hope. The day we celebrate as the Day of Memory and Sorrow has irrevocably changed the lives of tens of millions of people. It was a terrible and heroic time that passed through the destinies of people, forcing thembecome stronger and wiser.
The heroism of the Soviet border guards
The border guards took the initial blows, who were the first to engage in battle with the Nazi regular units and delayed their offensive for many hours. For a whole month, the surrounded Brest fought in complete isolation, detaining the elite units of the Nazis. After the fortress fell, the border guards in its cellars continued to fight. The last defender was captured only in the summer of 1942.
June 22 is the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, so we must remember that none of the 484 frontier outposts attacked on the first day of the war retreated without orders. Sometimes the Germans captured them only after all the border guards were killed. The Nazis did not take Soviet soldiers in green caps.
Did the USSR want war
A lot has been written about this terrible Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, it has been studied literally by the minute. Documents were declassified that allowed historians to conduct a comprehensive analysis. But since the 1990s, we have been told that this war is the result of a conspiracy between Stalin and Hitler, putting an equal sign between the two regimes.
But the documents say otherwise. The Soviet country did not want war, in every possible way delaying the time of its beginning. The leaders of the country, diplomats, the military, knowing what policy Germany was pursuing, which, before starting hostilities against the USSR, put half of Europe under its boot, had no doubt that the warwill.
W. Churchill said well about Hitler's treachery, speaking to his compatriots on this day. Having no sympathy for the USSR, he called the German government treacherous and noticed that the German ambassador to the USSR until the last second, smiling flatteringly, lavished on behalf of the government in courtesy, assuring "of friendship and almost in an alliance", and after the German invasion he went to Molotov with a note in which he laid out a bunch of claims to Russia. Why weren't they mentioned before?
Chronology of the first half of the day the war began
On the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, people remember the first day of the war, although for those who did not experience it, it is difficult to imagine what happened then. Horror and fear hung in the air as bombs rained down on the sleeping people. According to archival documents and eyewitness accounts, the details of that terrible day were restored:
- 3.30. A massive air raid was carried out on the cities of Belarus. They bombed Baranovichi, Brest, Kobrin, Grodno, Slonim, Lida and others.
- 3.35. There is information about air raids on the cities of Ukraine. The first strikes were made on the capital of Ukraine - the city of Kyiv.
- 3.40. General Kuznetsov, commander of the B altic District, reports to headquarters about enemy air raids on warships and B altic cities. Naval artillery managed to repel a raid on the ships of the B altic Fleet, but the cities were destroyed.
- 3.42. Chief of the General Staff G. K. Zhukov gets in touch with Stalin, reports on the German attack on the USSR and receives an order togetherwith Tymoshenko to urgently come to the Kremlin, to an emergency meeting of the Politburo.
- 3.45. The German reconnaissance and sabotage group launched an attack on the 1st outpost of the 86th Augustow border detachment. The border guards took the fight. The saboteurs were destroyed.
- 4.00. An attempt by German planes to bomb the ships of the Black Sea Fleet was repulsed. Sevastopol has been hit, there is destruction in the city.
- 4.05. Artillery strikes were carried out at all frontier posts, after which the Nazis went on the offensive.
- 4.30. A meeting of the Politburo begins, at which Stalin expresses doubts about the start of the war. Zhukov and Timoshenko are convinced that this is a war.
- The German Ambassador to the USSR presents a note from the German government to the government of the USSR. De jure Germany declares war on the USSR.
- 12.00. On this Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, V. Molotov informed Soviet citizens about the beginning of the war. All the people listened to his speech with bated breath, with tears in their eyes. Most people still remembered the Civil and First World Wars, their consequences, so they had no illusions.
Chronology of the second half of the day the war began
For the Soviet Union, this attack was a complete surprise. The rearmament of the Red Army has just begun. The Nazis counted on this. But from the first hours of the war it was clear that the blitzkrieg in Russia would not produce the same results as, for example, in France. As the reports of the German generals show, they could not expect such desperate resistance. But nonetheless,the element of surprise and technical superiority paid off. This is evidenced by the exhibits of organized exhibitions on the Day of Memory and Sorrow:
- 12.30. The city of Grodno fell.
- 13.00. General mobilization announced.
- 13.30. The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command has been created.
- 14.05. Italy, as an ally of Germany, declares war on the Soviet Union.
- 14.30. Many border outposts, despite the advance of the Germans inland, hold back the enemy for 10 hours.
- 18.00. The Russian Orthodox Church blesses all Orthodox to fight the enemy.
- 21.00. The first summary of the High Command on the state of affairs at the front. Millions of Soviet people were waiting for these reports with hope and pain every day.
Memorial Day
In all the churches of Russia on this day there are services in which those who died in this terrible war are commemorated. June 22, the Day of Memory and Sorrow, rallies are held throughout the country. Candles are lit, mourning music sounds. Flowers will be laid at memorials and monuments. After all, it was on June 22, 77 years ago, that thousands of people died, most of them were civilians. This day was the first of 1417 days that had to be lived, survived, defeated the enemy and met the Victory Day.
