Every year, on Victory Day, another psychic attack on the people of Russia is timed. And, what is remarkable, the characters who consider themselves to be patriots show a special zeal in it. Western Russophobes nervously smoke on the sidelines!
Losses
Especially, these "patriots" are trying to outmaneuver each other in the numbers of losses of the Red Army and among the civilian population; for some reason, they think that the larger the numbers of losses they name, the better. Better? But for whom is it better? As "authoritative" sources, the figures of which they operate, they include - Solzhenitsyn, V. Astafiev (both are participants in hostilities, which means they are indisputable authorities in this area)
The farther from the times of the Great Patriotic War, the greater the figures of the total human losses of the USSR are called! 20 million … 28 million … 37 million … 28 million again … Why such an increase? Does every political leader exaggerate losses in order to squeeze a tear of pity from the West? To pity his elite "this is how we have suffered for the whole world, and you, nasty ones, do not accept us into your club of the elite! Question the legality of our bank accounts …"?
Let's take the currently running figure - 28 million, what is she whispering to the subconscious of the people hearing her? And she whispers that since Germany lost only a little more than 7 million people, and we are 28 million, then this means that the Russians are very, very bad warriors, and not only bad, but also stupid, since they allowed themselves to be destroyed in this way. So, the Russians should not be afraid! And the Russian person has little thoughts "and figs for us victories, obtained at such a bloody price!"
The fresh, posthumously, winner of the Solzhenitsyn Prize V. Astafyev claimed (and now claims through the mouth of others) that in order to kill one German, the Red Army lost 7-10 people killed. Is it in order to instill fear of supermen (Germans, once French, now Americans)?
And this is possible because the overwhelming majority of consumers of information do not have the rudiments of critical thinking, or do not want to strain themselves to skeptically check the information they report (calories, cholesterol have learned to count, but here …)
Let's take a look at the available sources of information on this issue:
Preliminarily, we note that people automatically imagine the numbers: Germany, population - 80 million, USSR - about 200 million (for some reason, a very strange figure - the data of 1937 gave 162 million); This means that the USSR had incomparably more human resources at its disposal and the Germans were "drowned in Russian blood" And the brain of the information consumer refuses to summarize the following figures:
Germany - 80 million
Italy - 40 million
Finland -3 million
Hungary…
Slovakia…
Romania…
Croatia…
Bosnia (Muslims) …
And these are only formal allies of Germany! And there were also the French of Alsace and Lorraine (170 thousand, 50 thousand of them died), mobilized Silesian Poles (remember the film three tankers, Georgians …), Czechs … At least in terms of human resources, there was parity! Plus, developed transport communications in Europe, allowed the opponents of the USSR to beat the Red Army in terms of mobility (in the first periods of the war)
Now, actually about the numbers …
And again, no preliminary remarks in any way! When calculating German losses, there are a number of nuances, such as:
it is difficult to understand which Germany we are talking about - in some data, Germany is taken into account within the boundaries of 37 years, in others it is 39 years.
And most often, when taking into account losses, in order to underestimate them, Germany is meant within the boundaries of 37 years. With such calculations, 270,000 Austrian Germans and 200,000 Sudeten Germans fall into a completely different column. As you can see, almost half a million of those killed in hostilities, the Germans pass through the "balance" of other countries.
Of the 3,777,290 Germans who were in Soviet captivity, 85.1% returned home, and 14.9% died in captivity.
All in all, 4337, 3 thousand German servicemen were captured by our troops, of which about 600,000 people, after an appropriate check, were released directly at the fronts. For the most part, these were persons of non-German nationality, forcibly drafted into the Wehrmacht and the army of its allies (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Romanians, Slovenes, Bulgarians, Moldovans, Volksdeutsche, etc.)
Of the 4559 thousand Soviet servicemen who were captured, only about 40% returned home, and 55% died in captivity, and only a small group (more than 180 thousand) emigrated to other countries.
When assessing the losses of Germany, only the losses of the Wehrmacht and the SS troops were taken into account. In addition, due to the lack of reliable ones, the losses of the military field police, security service institutions (SD) and military administration in the occupied territories (about 600 thousand people), the Gestapo who were not part of the SS troops (250 thousand people), are not included, security and punitive units - legions, battalions, companies (about 200 thousand people) …
… According to General Halder, the percentage of irrecoverable human losses (killed, missing) of military formations and contingents that were not part of the Wehrmacht was very high, and reached 40% of their total number"
Russia and the USSR wars of the 20th century. Statistical research.
“So, for example, in one of the hospitals of heroic Stalingrad for 45 days of work, from July 1 to August 15, 1942, out of 13, 6 thousand wounded received during this time, only 262 people died, ie 2% …
… the mortality rate among the wounded soldiers of the Wehrmacht was 10% …
… the mortality rate in the US Army was - 2.9%
Canada - 6, 7%
Australia - 4.6%
New Zealand - 7.5%"
History of combat losses. B. Ts. Urlanis
Losses among the Vlasovites, Bandera, policemen, other formations of traitors, forest brothers of various spills, etc. were credited to the "balance" of losses of Soviet Russia.
And all this must be taken into account when determining the losses of the Red Army and casualties among the civilian population!
Western analysts have never come to an unambiguous assessment of combat losses in World War II, "The 'Statistical Bulletin' in the January 1946 issue, the number of killed and died during the entire Second World War is estimated at 9, 5 million people. Other calculations give higher numbers of losses. For example, published in Bern (Switzerland) weekly ' Der Weg 'published in January 1946 the results of losses in the Second World War, according to which 14,450,000 people died on the fronts, that is, 50% more than the figure of the' Statistical Bulletin '. The same figure was cited by O. Grotewohl in March 1946. The statistics journal of the GDR indicates that 13 million soldiers and officers were killed in the Second World War. Regardless of which of the above figures is correct, it is undeniable that the losses in the Second World War far exceeded the losses in the First World War."
History of military losses. B. Ts. Urlanis. (Pp. 240-241)
Let us take the figure of 14,450,000 as a basis, round it up to 15 million, and note that these are combat losses. What remains to be done by an inquisitive person? Subtract the losses of Germany (we are taught that the Germans very, very meticulously calculated their losses). And the fact that our trackers find the remains of hundreds of thousands of German soldiers in the swamps of the North-West of Russia does not count !:
… a secret archive of German military losses for the period from September 1, 1939 to November 30, 1944 was discovered. According to the materials of this archive, German losses were (in thousands of people):
Army - killed 1709, 7, missing - 1540, 8
Navy - killed 51, 8, missing - 32.2
Aviation - 149, 6, missing - 141, 0
Total - killed 1911, 3, missing - 1713, 0
Total - 3624.3
Since all the ‘missing’ essentially represent the same article of losses as those killed, the total number of dead German soldiers and officers, even according to official figures, was 3.6 million people. If we add more losses for December 1944 and January - May 1945, then the total number of dead Wehrmacht soldiers will be about 4 million people."
History of combat losses. B. Ts. Urlanis. (pp. 207-208)
However, some experts estimate the losses of the German army at 8, 4 million people (someone estimates the losses at 7 million). Let us agree with the ancient wisdom "the truth is in the middle", and we get a figure of 6, 2 million people. We will subtract this figure from 15 million, as a result we will get the figure of losses of other participants of the Second World War - about 8-9 million people. What "Astafyev's" figures of 7-10 Red Army soldiers laid down for the sake of one German-yubermansh can we talk about?
The following facts should also be taken into account: the irrecoverable losses of the countries of Germany's formal allies amounted to
Hungary - 809,066 people
Italy - 92867 …
Romania - 475070 …
Finland - 84377 …
Slovakia - 6765 …
To understand more fully, you need to determine the losses of the Red Army:
… the demographic losses of the Armed Forces of the USSR (killed, died of wounds and illness, died as a result of accidents, shot by the verdict of military tribunals, did not return from captivity) amounted to 8,668,400 people on the payroll …
… The demographic losses of military personnel from the citizens of Russia amounted to 6,537, 1 thousand people, or 71, 3% of the total demographic losses of the Armed Forces of the USSR … of which, Russians amounted to 5, 756, 0 thousand people or 66, 402% of the total figure losses"
Russia and the USSR in the wars of the 20th century. Statistical Research, (p. 236)
The losses of the USSR and Russia are enormous, but they are not so inferior to the losses of the enemy, as they are trying to hammer us into them!
Let's move on to other numbers:
The distance from the borders from which the aggression began to Moscow is 670 kilometers. The Napoleonic Euroarmada covered this distance in 83 days. The Germans covered the same distance - 166 days.
The German press reported that the capture of Norway cost them only 1,317 people killed, the capture of Greece - 1,484 people, Poland - 10,572 people. In total, in the first year of World War II, Germany's military losses amounted to 39 thousand people killed, 143 thousand wounded and 24 thousand missing. And in total, before the attack on Soviet Russia, during the period of 1 year and 10 months of the world war, according to official data, the losses amounted to almost 300 thousand people (killed, wounded and missing)
But now, already in the fall of 1941, according to the admission of German generals in the troops of the "Center" army, "in the majority of infantry companies, the number of personnel reached 60-70 people," and after the battles for Moscow, "the number of company personnel in most cases was reduced to 40 people."
Agree, such figures do not speak of the stampede of the Red Army in that distant 41 year.
And already in the battles for Moscow from December 6 to December 27, 41 - the German army lost only about 120 thousand soldiers and officers killed. For comparison: during the strategic offensive operation from December 5, 1941 to January 7, 1942, in the battle for Moscow, the irrecoverable losses of the Red Army amounted to (killed, wounded and missing) about 140 thousand people.
With the panicky flight of the Red Army, the German army could not suffer such losses. There was a retreat, accompanied by heavy, bloody battles, but not a panicky flight, of which we are diligently convinced.
And already in the battle for Stalingrad, which is divided into two periods: a defensive and an offensive phase - the total irrecoverable (killed, wounded and missing) of the Red Army amounted to about 480 thousand people, the irrecoverable losses of the German army, as well as its allies - over 800 thousand people.
During the period from July 5 to November 5, 1943, the Red Army defeated 144 enemy divisions. As a result of this defeat, the Germans lost up to 900 thousand.only killed.
Even if we assume that the losses of the Red Army amounted to 10 million people; then after deducting this figure, out of the 28 million currently accepted, 18 million will be civilian casualties. Project these victims mainly on the territory of Ukraine and Belarus and imagine what the demographic situation should have been, with such losses, in these territories. Definitely, Belarus as such could not be now!
Representatives of all the peoples of the USSR served in the Red Army, and therefore every nation of the USSR had its share in the losses of the Red Army. But 18 million civilian casualties are predominantly distributed among the population of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia!
And for the curious:
The population of France in 1939 was about 42 million people, the population of modern France is about 60 million.
The population of Italy in 1939 is about 44 million people, modern Italy is about 60 million.
(I chose these two nation-states because they recently demonstrated a high birth rate)
The population of Russia in 1937 is about 100 million (all Russians in the USSR are about 100 million people), the population of modern Russia is about 145 million people (Russians in 1989 - about 145 million)
You can trust the figures announced after the war by Stalin: 12-14 million people (does this figure reduce the merits of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers?).
A colossal, unprecedented sacrifice, but not a sacrifice of sheep, who submissively substitute their throats under the knife. And most likely, for Soviet Russia, this was the most optimal way out of this situation. Indeed, in the event of a preemptive strike by the Red Army on the German troops, the entire western army was ready to rush to Soviet Russia! Similar plans were considered by the West in the period before and during the Soviet-Finnish war. And the mistakes of the command and control, which are constantly being trumpeted, were not as critical as they are rubbing us in! And if anyone can be blamed for the heavy sacrifices suffered by Soviet Russia in the first period of the war, it is the West! After all, it was his readiness to rush to Russia and thereby catastrophically worsen the situation for Russia, fettered Russia's capabilities.
It can be assumed that, despite the fact that England and France (this country is generally a separate song: the losses of France after the opening of the second front amounted to 14 thousand people, the losses of the "Fighting France" from the moment of surrender to the invasion of the allies amounted to 11 thousand killed and those who died from wounds. Compare with the figures of the dead French citizens who fought on the side of Germany - at least 70 thousand people) were in a state of war with Germany, somewhere at some level there could be a secret agreement on joint actions against our country. This is indicated by the strange visit of Rudolf Hess to Great Britain and the even more strange detention of him (there was a personal prison for him). This is also indicated by the delay in opening the second front, but it is even more indicated by the terrible bombing of German cities after the Battle of Stalingrad; thus, criminals take out their rage and cruelty on the faces of those who did not meet their expectations. This is, of course, another topic.
Armament
The Soviet Union produced 97% of the weapons and military equipment used by the Red Army. This information I found in one of the declassified documents of the American army at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 1956. The information about the weapons produced by the Russians is as follows:
100% of their own artillery (excellent heavy artillery). By the middle of 1943, the Red Army had a fivefold superiority in artillery compared to the German army, in the middle of 1944 it was tenfold, and in 1945 it was thirtyfold.
100% small arms. The well-known AK-47 was launched in 1947.
99% of tanks (Soviet T-34 was recognized as the best tank of the Second World War). Production of Soviet tanks rose to 29,000 units in 1944; the United States produced only 17,500 that same year. The German war industry reached its peak in 1944 despite massive bombing by the Americans and the British.
93% aircraft -82% military cargo transport
Russian soldier
The best descriptions of the Russian soldier come from German soldiers, generals, British generals, and a Russian Jew who was a correspondent during the war. Vasily Grossman wrote:
“I was struck to the depths of my soul by the inherent ability of Russian soldiers to sacrifice. In war, a Russian soldier puts on a white shirt and dies like a saint. In the first place is patience and humility in the face of unthinkable hardships. But this is the patience of the strong in spirit.. This is the patience of a great army. The greatness of the Russian soul is overwhelming."
A German soldier at Stalingrad wrote that the Russians are not people, but rather cast iron creatures. In his book, Willie Riis writes about the mood of the Germans who visited the Eastern Front. He noted that German veterans openly admired Russian soldiers, which was rare in the case of their Western opponents.
One German veteran aptly described the war in the West as "good sport," while the war in the East was a complete disaster. A high-ranking German staff officer after the war wrote about the merits of the enemy: the strength of the Red Army in its soldiers. The Russian soldier is patient and incredibly enduring, infinitely brave and fearless. The peculiarity of Russians is their pronounced contempt for life and death, which is completely incomprehensible to a person in the West.
British General Giffard Martel said the following about the Russian soldier: their bravery on the battlefield is beyond doubt, but their more prominent feature is their incredible strength and endurance.
The last title of Hero of the Soviet Union was received by a Russian soldier in the final days of the Battle of Berlin. He heroically saved a German woman and her four-year-old daughter. However, he was mortally wounded and died a few days later. When he was asked to whom to inform about his feat, he replied that no one, his entire family died during the war. This is the highest manifestation of heroism.
The battles fought by the Russians saved the lives of millions of Americans. How did the Russians win?
Their soldiers were better.
They had better weapons and more.
Their generals were better.
German generals came from aristocratic families.
The British generals were from the gentry.
Russian generals were from peasants.
