History 21/02/20 That Stalin did on the night of Hitler’s attack on the USSR
About what did the Soviet leadership in the last night before the attack the German forces, what decisions it has taken, there are a variety of contradictory versions. To dot the i hardly ever succeed, but you can try to imagine a plausible picture.
the attack Was “treacherous” and “flash”
the fact that a military clash between the USSR and Germany was inevitable in the short term, the Soviet leadership was evident long before the summer of 1941. The fact that the USSR was preparing for the great war on the Western border, evident in the data set. If we accept the version that the Soviet Union was preparing for a defensive war, except, as with Germany, there was no fight with anyone. If the Soviet Union itself was prepared to start the liberation campaign in Europe, the question of “suddenness” is no longer especially. And, of course, Stalin, Molotov and other senior Communists were sophisticated enough in politics to trust the leader of the imperialist States, so that “treachery” was not any.
But the question remains: was there a sudden German attack on June 22? Here opinions differ, and every historian cites as a “decisive argument” only the evidence that fit for him. Some say that Stalin ignored all the signals the imminent invasion of the Wehrmacht. Explain it differently: someone thinks that Stalin believed the assurances of the peace-loving Hitler (which is absurd), and someone that the German attack demolished their own plans of Stalin at the beginning of the war, and he didn’t want to believe it (which is at least strange).
Others are trying to prove that Stalin did everything in his power to prepare for war, and the generals, including Zhukov, ignored his orders, as he allegedly wanted to expose the Red army of cruel defeats and against this background, to overthrow Stalin. The analysis of this version, obviously, outodita beyond historiography and within the competence of psychiatry.
Third is the most reasonable to consider that hypothesis, exposing either Stalin or his subordinates responsible for the accident on June 22, have nothing to do with complex reality in which errors in the assessment of the situation could easily afford everything. But the most important thing you should pay attention – we are still exactly unknown not only to the pre-war plans of the Soviet leadership, but his decision on that fateful night.
you should Not believe everything in his memoirs
Due to the authority of “the chief Marshal of the Victory” the majority of historians uncritically accepted his version of events on 21-22 June. Late in the evening of June 21, under the influence of information from a border of the active movements of the German troops, Stalin listened to the persuasion of the chief of General staff G. K. Zhukov and defense Commissar S. K. Timoshenko and agreed to pay “Directive No. 1” about the reduction of troops in the border districts on alert. However, according to this version, the Directive was given too late to be able to carry out all necessary preparatory activities. Therefore, the beginning of the war found most of the Soviet troops by surprise.
after the outbreak of hostilities, at 7:15 am on June 22 was given, at the proposal of the Zhukov Directive No. 2 concerning the rendering of repulse the invading enemy. Finally, on the afternoon of 22 June, troops are Directive No. 3, ordered a counterattack on the enemy and the transfer of war into enemy territory.
the Purpose of all memoirs – the apologetics of their authors. Beetles clearly ascribes a crucial role in directives No. 1 and 2, but refuses to admit this in relation to the Directive №3, clearly not conformed to the environment.
In fact, it is unclear why it was necessary to give the Directive # 2, if military action was already under way. But the main thing is. All this numbering particularly important documents makes me wonder, if they had been invented (including archival copies) retroactively. Which authority gave the directives? Neither t-bills nor the Stavka at thatthat time has not yet been created. Orders of defense Commissar and directives of the General staff are assigned sequence numbers beginning with 1 January of each year. Further, if we assume that the Directive No. 1 means “military first”, after Directive No. 3 of this numbering is somehow not continue.
it will be recalled that in presenting in his memoirs the circumstances of his resignation from the post of chief of the General staff on 29 July 1941 Zhukov deliberately incorrectly described the strategic situation at the time, so that the reader has the impression that he had already warned Stalin of a possible disaster near Kiev.
Where there were Stalin and Politburo members
it would be Fair to admit that historians still do not know exactly the content and nature of the Soviet leadership orders troops on 21 and 22 June. But this is a trifle in comparison with the uncertainty, and where the hell it was that night.
According to the memoirs of Zhukov, after the impact of the Directive number 1, he’s about midnight departed from the Kremlin, in the first half of the night telephoned Stalin and reported about the situation, and then called again the leader after the first German bombing, at half-past three in the morning, and Stalin had to Wake up. But Stalin, according to Zhukov, was in the Kremlin, and not near the country, according to many historians.
contrary to the Testimony of Zhukov’s memories of A. G. Mikoyan and Sergo Beria, according to which the Politburo was in session all night, and went only three o’clock in the morning on June 22 and shortly after learning about the beginning of the war, all the members of the Politburo met again.
Can be considered decisive evidence of Molotov, who in an interview with journalist F. Chuyev, confirmed that in two hours the night of June 22 continued meeting of the Politburo in the Kremlin office of Stalin?
“Without a Declaration of war…”
please note that neither Molotov nor his interviewer – a famous Patriotic publicist – there was no motive to contradict generations of ingrained Soviet citizens to the official version of the war.
MMolotov told that in two hours, when Stalin was a meeting, he was informed from the foreign office that the German Ambassador von der Schulenburg wants to Molotov urgently took him to my office. Molotov’s office was located in the same building as the office of Stalin, but in another wing. The members of the Politburo remained Stalin. Between half two and three o’clock in the morning, Schulenburg, read out and handed Molotov a Memorandum about the Declaration of war by Germany to the Soviet Union. This was obviously before the start of hostilities.
“Let’s – argue – but what about the fact that Germany attacked the Soviet Union without a Declaration of war?!” That’s it. Why Molotov, even decades later, was to lie, if the version of the attack without a Declaration of war consistent with the truth? It is logical to assume that this fact was not invented nor the Stalinist Commissar or Chuyev. The German Ambassador in fact handed a note declaring war to the German troops crossing the Soviet border, and even for a few minutes before the first air raids. The Politburo, led by Stalin, indeed met that night two hours later. What decisions it has taken is yet to be determined.
Yaroslav Butakov
Source:
© Russian Seven
Recommended statesalaska… Share: Comments (1) Comments on the article “What Stalin did in the night of Hitler’s attack on the Soviet Union” 21.02.2020 in 15:09 Alexander Oleshkevich writes:
Afftor teach materiel! First, Stalin ordered Timoshenko and Zhukov to prepare and send in the border district “Directive No. 1” the evening of the 18th of June!Why is it before the war did not reach all districts — a clear answer to Zhukov in his memoirs is not given. Secondly, according to. has long been published in “the Journal visits the office of Stalin”, Stalin was in it in 17 hours and 20 June, 5 o’clock 21-th. And with 12 hours of the 21st began receiving visitors, which lasted nearly a day. And in this mode it worked all week until the 30th of June. 30 he, along with members of the Politburo called for the General staff, which brought chief of the General staff Zhukov to tearful tantrums, and then, went near the cottage, where he stayed for little more than a day. All the other stories about the behavior of Stalin in the first days of the war — arrogant, biased nonsense!
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