(310 words) In 1941, a terrible event happened that largely determined the course of world history. On June 22, the Nazis attacked the Soviet Union. For ordinary people, the sudden outbreak of war was a heavy blow. Yesterday they lived, dreamed, made plans, fell in love and married, and now all bright hopes have come to an end. Mothers and wives escorted their sons and husbands to the front in tears, realizing that they might never see them again.
In fact, the Second World War began even earlier. In 1939, the Nazis attacked Poland, followed by Germany declared war on France and Britain. And in 1941, capturing most of Europe, Hitler decided to attack the USSR. However, here he first met a strong opponent. The battle of Moscow was a turning point. The Wehrmacht army, accustomed to winning everywhere, faced harsh winter conditions and was driven back from the capital.
The battle of Stalingrad became decisive. The Nazis planned to cut Moscow from resources. But the Red Army stopped the German advance on the Volga. It was the bloodiest battle in the history of World War II. Each side lost over two million people. As a result of the Battle of Kursk in June-July 1943, the enemy army began to leave Soviet cities. By the fall of 1944, the Third Reich had almost no possessions in the Soviet Union. At the same time, in the West, the allies - members of the anti-Hitler coalition represented by Great Britain, France and the USA - conducted operations to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation. Former German supporters began to emerge from the war. The Nazi army was losing ground.
In the spring of 1945, the Red Army moved to Berlin. Realizing defeat, Hitler committed suicide. An act of surrender of Germany was signed. On this the Great Patriotic War ended. The ninth day of May was Victory Day, achieved by incredible efforts, at the cost of enormous human sacrifice. And the Second World War ended in September, after the surrender of the Japanese.
The Great Patriotic War forever remained one of the most terrible periods in the history of our country, and the Second World War - in the history of mankind. The lesson that history teaches us is: you can’t allow a new war, you need to stem all manifestations of Nazism and establish peaceful relations.
