The main myths about the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War
From the very moment of its creation, the Red Army has inexorably acquired various myths. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, this trend only intensified. However, let's try to separate the "grain from the chaff" and debunk the most popular of them related to the Great Patriotic War.
Let's start with the statement that the Soviet commanders had no experience in warfare. This is not true. By the beginning of the offensive by the fascist troops, officers of the Red Army, in addition to the Civil War, managed to take part in a number of military operations. In particular, the armed conflict on the CER, in the battles on Lake Hassan and at Khalkhin Gol, in the Polish campaign of the RKK in 1939 and in the Winter War with Finland.
Another misconception is that the USSR was not preparing for war. By the end of the second five-year plan, the Soviet Union took first place in industrial production in Europe. In the third five-year period, the figure grew by another 13%. At the same time, the growth of the military-industrial complex amounted to 39% per year, and on the eve of the war, the latest types of weapons were created.
This also includes the myth of "one rifle for three." Most often, it applies to militia soldiers at the beginning of the war. However, data from archives suggests otherwise. In particular, as of September 12, 3, 1941 Moscow divisions of the people's militia were provided with 100% small arms and artillery.
The glaring injustice is the assertion that the General Red Frost helped the Red Army. Declared by G. Guderian -50 degrees are pure fiction. The average temperature in November 1941 was from -5 to +3 degrees, and the minimum was -20. At the same time, not only German, but also Soviet soldiers froze and caught a cold.
Far from the truth and the statement that the Red Army won "contrary" to the Communists. By the time of the German attack, the strength of the CPSU totaled about 3 million 900 thousand people. In the first year of the war, 40% of the pre-war composition of the party was sent to the front, which is more than 1,3 million people. In total, during the years of the Second World War, more than 2 million communists died on the front.
The fact that more than 2 million Germans were raped by Soviet soldiers is not worth talking about. The legend of the "ferocity" of the Red Army was born thanks to the propaganda efforts of J. Goebbels. And the above figure is a “merit”, to put it mildly, of the strange logic of the English historian-writer E. Bivor.
And finally, a glaring lie is that the losses of the Red Army were many times greater than those of the Wehrmacht. Germany lost 8 million 876 thousand people on the entire Eastern Front. The irretrievable losses of the USSR amounted to 11 million 441 thousand people. At the same time, do not forget that Soviet soldiers and officers entered the fray and defeated one of the strongest armies in history.
Let's start with the statement that the Soviet commanders had no experience in warfare. This is not true. By the beginning of the offensive by the fascist troops, officers of the Red Army, in addition to the Civil War, managed to take part in a number of military operations. In particular, the armed conflict on the CER, in the battles on Lake Hassan and at Khalkhin Gol, in the Polish campaign of the RKK in 1939 and in the Winter War with Finland.
Another misconception is that the USSR was not preparing for war. By the end of the second five-year plan, the Soviet Union took first place in industrial production in Europe. In the third five-year period, the figure grew by another 13%. At the same time, the growth of the military-industrial complex amounted to 39% per year, and on the eve of the war, the latest types of weapons were created.
This also includes the myth of "one rifle for three." Most often, it applies to militia soldiers at the beginning of the war. However, data from archives suggests otherwise. In particular, as of September 12, 3, 1941 Moscow divisions of the people's militia were provided with 100% small arms and artillery.
The glaring injustice is the assertion that the General Red Frost helped the Red Army. Declared by G. Guderian -50 degrees are pure fiction. The average temperature in November 1941 was from -5 to +3 degrees, and the minimum was -20. At the same time, not only German, but also Soviet soldiers froze and caught a cold.
Far from the truth and the statement that the Red Army won "contrary" to the Communists. By the time of the German attack, the strength of the CPSU totaled about 3 million 900 thousand people. In the first year of the war, 40% of the pre-war composition of the party was sent to the front, which is more than 1,3 million people. In total, during the years of the Second World War, more than 2 million communists died on the front.
The fact that more than 2 million Germans were raped by Soviet soldiers is not worth talking about. The legend of the "ferocity" of the Red Army was born thanks to the propaganda efforts of J. Goebbels. And the above figure is a “merit”, to put it mildly, of the strange logic of the English historian-writer E. Bivor.
And finally, a glaring lie is that the losses of the Red Army were many times greater than those of the Wehrmacht. Germany lost 8 million 876 thousand people on the entire Eastern Front. The irretrievable losses of the USSR amounted to 11 million 441 thousand people. At the same time, do not forget that Soviet soldiers and officers entered the fray and defeated one of the strongest armies in history.
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