🥇 The Battle for Moscow

The Parade on the Red Square on the 7th of November 1941

The Red Army's victory at Moscow was the watershed moment of The Great Patriotic War, and of WWII.

When the German Fascists were defeated and driven into retreat it became clear to the world, that the Soviet Union would not cave in and surrender to Hitler's Blitzkrieg - like the rest of Europe had done.

Preceding the epic victory of the Soviet forces at the fronts, an event of the utmost importance for the morale of the whole country took place – the Parade on Red Square on the 7th of November 1941 with Stalin’s unifying and encouraging speech addressing the Peoples and the Armed Forces.

This documentary tells the story of the filming of the Oscar-winning documentary «Rout of the German Troops Near Moscow» from 1941. But, it is much more. It de-crowns several myths – some benign, and some used by the present-day rewriters of WWII history. It tells about the heroism of the front-line cameramen, who filmed and died so that this history would not be forgotten. And it delves into a little-known side of the American-Soviet relations during the war.

Below is a fragment of the transcript of the documentary at Beorn’s blog.

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"The reports from the front sounded like a home geography lesson. Brjansk is abandoned by our troops on the 6th of October. Kaluga – on the 13th. Tver – on the 14th. And that’s just 1,5 hour by car from Moscow. Night on the 15th of October the Germans broke through our defences and started walking across Moscow province (oblast). Panic ensued in the capital.

When the whole of Moscow was leaving, it was very frightening… all the lorries, loaded with something, were driving away… All the time there was some kind of rumble, a feeling that those lorries were clanking, in other words, not silence, but some constant sound. People were simply leaving, even with a baby stroller, and in it there would be not a child, but a washing basin, or some household things, so as not to carry that in hands. And there was a total feeling of some kind of horror. Everyone leaves Moscow.

On the 15th of October Stalin signs the decree on the evacuation of the capital of the USSR, the city of Moscow. The diplomatic missions leave Moscow on the same day. The government convoys with the staff of the Central Committee of the Communist Party leave for Kujbyshev. On the morning of the 16th of October people saw that the Metro is stopped. Government buildings are closed. The military is setting up charges under the bridges.

I have it still before my eyes windy… no snow on the Smolensk square, dust is being blown, someone’s pedigree dog is running, looking for its owners. And along Arbat, lorry after lorry are driving off, taking in them various secret papers. So we were on the brink of a situation when the Germans could enter Moscow. Mining of Metropolitan was being discussed in earnest. Everything was ready for the evacuation of Stalin himself.

Note: “Comrade Stalin must be evacuated tomorrow or later, depending on the situation.”

It is said that he even walked up to the train that was to take him from Moscow, but turned back on the platform.

And just three weeks later, on his orders, a parade was held on the Red Square, commemorating the 24th anniversary of the October Revolution."

#BattleForMoscow #Victory80 #WeRemember #Documentary

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«We Shall Defend Moscow!»

🏅 Stalin never left Moscow

The question of the evacuation of the Head of State hung in the air. There were at least a dozen options for the evacuation of Iosif Stalin, involving the use of a car, train or plane.

According to one version, the Soviet leader even came to the train station, where a train was waiting for him, but after wandering around the platform for a while, Stalin decided not to leave Moscow.

However, there were attempts to evacuate the Supreme Commander to Kuibyshev, but no one dared to talk to him about it. Then they tried to find out indirectly:
— Comrade Stalin, when shall we send the guards regiment from Moscow?
— If necessary, I will lead this regiment into the attack myself, Stalin replied.
(V. Molotov. Quoted by: Chuev F.)

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Felix Chuev wrote a verse on this topic: “I will lead this regiment into the charge“

Already the ambassadors live in the deep rear,
There are no commissars in Moscow anymore,
And von Bock's panzer armies
Continue the attack on Himki.

They decide at the headquarters of the Western Front
To set up a headquarters east of Moscow,
And the Sun as a wound of the Russian people
Is burning in the autumn blue.

Responsible persons are already in Moscow
The only thing they still don’t know -
When will He leave the capital Himself,
But how to ask Him about it?

Yes, how to ask? The question is extremely important,
Such that one can't put it off for later...
- When shall we send the regiment of your guard
To Kuibyshev? The train is standing ready.

The windows were shaking in the roar of the air,
It was sparkling in the Alexander Garden...
He said calmly: - If need be,
I will lead this regiment into the charge.

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Poster: «We Shall Defend Moscow!», by N.Zhukov and V.Klimashin, 1941

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🏅 March of the Defenders of Moscow
Песня защитников Москвы

The March was originally used by the Red Army and appeared first during the 1941 Battle for Moscow. The lyrics are written by Alexey Surkov while the music is composed by Boris Mokrousov.

In early October 1941, the German Wehrmacht began their offensive at Moscow. In shock, Surkov composed a poem he titled Defenders of Moscow.

The poem was first published in the newspaper Krasnoarmeiskaya Pravda on November 3rd 1941. A week later, it was printed by Vechernyaya Moskva.

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Into the attack in rows of steel
We are walking with a firm step.
Our dear capital is behind us,
Our Frontier has been marked by the Leader.

Chorus:
We will not flinch in the battle for our capital,
Our dear Moscow is precious to us.
An indestructible wall, a defense of steel
We will defeat and destroy the enemy!
An indestructible wall, a defense of steel
We will defeat and destroy the enemy!

Platoons are aligned on the march
The earth is humming under our feet,
Our dear factories are behind us
And the red stars of the Kremlin.

Chorus.

For our happiness with own hands
We were building our hometown.
For every broken stone
We will pay back at a terrible price.

Chorus.

The mighty force can’t be crushed,
Our resistance of fire is mighty.
And our enemy will find its grave
In the foggy battles near Moscow.

Chorus.

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В атаку стальными рядами
Мы поступью твердой идем.
Родная столица за нами,
Рубеж наш назначен Вождем.

Припев:
Мы не дрогнем в бою за столицу свою,
Нам родная Москва дорога.
Нерушимой стеной, обороной стальной
Разгромим, уничтожим врага!
Нерушимой стеной, обороной стальной
Разгромим, уничтожим врага!

На марше равняются взводы
Гудит под ногами земля,
За нами родные заводы
И красные звезды Кремля.

Припев.

Для счастья своими руками
Мы строили город родной.
За каждый расколотый камень
Отплатим мы страшной ценой.

Припев.

Не смять богатырскую силу,
Могуч наш отпор огневой.
И враг наш отыщет могилу
В туманных боях под Москвой.

Припев.

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«Moscow Strikes Back»

Such is the title of the American edition - shortened to 55 minutes, re-scored and dubbed - of the Soviet 69 minute long documentary «Rout of the German Troops Near Moscow», which tells the heroic story of the Battle for Moscow, the counter offensive and the months leading up to it, including the parade on Red Square on November 7, 1941.

The documentary recieved «Oscar» in 1943 and became the hallmark that changed the world-wide attitude towards the Soviet Union and its struggle against Nazism.

#Victory80 #BattleForMoscow #WeRemember #Documentary

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The heroic feat of musicians

July 1941. The enemy is approaching Moscow, and a people's militia is forming. Among them are musicians from the Soviet Union's first State Brass Band. They had never held anything in their hands except instruments, but they sacrificed their lives to save the capital.

This remarkable story has come to light only recently. Memories of the orchestra members can be found in a fragment of Lidia Vasilevskaya and Kirill Puzyrny's film ‘The Tune of Victory’. On Unknown Soldier Day in Russia, we remember the defenders of Moscow who fell in battle for the city.

#Victory80

Source: @MTdocumentary

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The Tune of Victory
— RT Documentary

As the Germans advanced toward Moscow in the summer of 1941, a people's militia began to form in the capital. Those with military exemptions – diplomats, writers, scientists, and musicians – volunteered to join. Among them was the Soviet Union's first State Brass Band, whose nearly 100 members enlisted in the 6th Division. Tragically, most of them perished near Vyazma just months later.

Their heroic story has only recently come to light and is being pieced together through the recollections of the fallen musicians' children and a few surviving documents. The names of all of the band members are not known, as lists of the militia soldiers were destroyed during evacuation.

Founded by the renowned musician, conductor, and composer Vladislav Blazhevich, this orchestra was truly unique. Before his time, such bands had not included flute, clarinet, or oboe players, nor had they performed works by Tchaikovsky, Bach, or Haydn. Only the best musicians were selected for the Soviet Union's first State Brass Band.

However, the war changed everything. The militiamen were tasked with building defenses, digging trenches, and fighting saboteurs. Due to the rapid advance of the enemy, they were ultimately forced into battle.

It was previously believed that the USSR's first State Brass Band was established in 1970, but thanks to the efforts of the musicians' relatives, as well as journalists and historians, the memory of the country's truly first brass orchestra is being restored. Today, the Kremlin Brass Band even plays a waltz in honor of the heroic musicians who fought for their Homeland.

🎖 Eternal memory, Glory!

👉 We have re-encoded the film to a mobile-friendly size. The original can be viewed on RT Documentary Odysee and Rumble channels.

#Documentary #Victory80 #WeRemember

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🏵 Sacred War

The song became the anthem of the Great Patriotic War!

The lyrics for "Sacred War" was written in 1941 by Vasilij Lebedev-Kumach, and the music created by Alexandr Alexandrov right after the poem was published.
The creative process is described as part of the documentary "The Singing Weapon. Alexandrov Ensemble", and in a video interview of Alexandr Alexandrov’s son, which we posted earlier.

This video clip is taken from the second episode of Yury Ozerov's epic 1985 film "Battle for Moscow, Typhoon". There is another performance of the song by Elena Vaenga. And then there is a rare metal rock version here.

The lyrics in Russian are at the site of Culture.ru. We translated and subtitled the film.

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Sacred War

Rise, immense country,
Rise to a deadly fight
Against the dark Fascist force,
Against the damned horde!

Let the noble fury
Boil up like a wave, —
A people's war's afoot,
A Sacred War!

Let the noble fury
Boil up like a wave, —
A people's war's afoot,
A Sacred War!

We'll push back the stranglers
Of all the ardent ideas,
The rapists, the thieves,
The tormentors of people!

Let the noble fury
Boil up like a wave, —
A people's war's afoot,
A Sacred War!

The dark wings won't dare
To fly over the Motherland,
Her vast fields
The enemy won't dare to trample!

Let the noble fury
Boil up like a wave, —
A people's war's afoot,
A Sacred War!

Into the forehead of rotten fascist scum
We'll drive a bullet.
For the dregs of humanity,
We'll make a solid coffin!

Let the noble fury
Boil up like a wave, —
A people's war's afoot,
A Sacred War!

Let the noble fury
Boil up like a wave, —
A people's war's afoot,
A Sacred War!

🚩 🚩 🚩

👉 The song is also available on Odysee and at the start of our Battle of Stalingrad 1943-2023 Exhibition.

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Without Socialism, We Cannot Defeat the Enemy

On Thursday, November 27, the CC of the CPRF and the All-Russian Protest Action Headquarters sent the 146th humanitarian convoy to the SMO zone, dedicated to Russia's Day of Military Glory on December 5—the anniversary of the start of the victorious counteroffensive of Soviet troops against the Nazi invaders in the Battle of Moscow in 1941.

The event was attended by the Chairman of the CC of the CPRF, G.A. Zyuganov, who spoke to those gathered:

"We are sending everything necessary from the Lenin state farm site, primarily to the soldiers fighting on the front lines, the guys recovering in hospitals, orphanages, schools, boarding schools, and families who have suffered.

This convoy carries a special meaning; it is dedicated to the Battle of Moscow, a legendary battle that fundamentally changed the course of the war.

The fascists marched rapidly across Europe. It took them several weeks to capture the rest of Europe, but they broke their teeth primarily in the Balkans: the Serbs did not surrender, they rose up... They threw a huge army at our country, subjugating all the iron, all the ports, all the machines of Europe.

Of course, withstanding the first blow was difficult because it required mobilising all resources. Hitler, in the Barbarossa plan, predicted that they would break our army and take Moscow within 3 months. Moreover, it was immediately declared: no surrender would be accepted, and Moscow would be wiped off the face of the Earth, making a huge reservoir in its place. Such cannibalistic plans are hard to imagine.

The fascists approached Moscow. Only Stalin's political strength and will, the unity of the Communist Party and the Soviet people, made it possible to give a powerful rebuff and achieve this outstanding victory.

The battle began on September 30 and lasted two months: we accumulated strength, brought in legendary Siberian divisions, and strengthened positions. Here, near Moscow, our brilliant commanders Zhukov, Rokossovsky, and Konev learned to fight. I believe they not only learned but demonstrated character because the forces were unequal.

Stalin was offered to leave Moscow, but said: "I will stay here, defending the capital with the last battalion." We managed to cope, and as a result of the defeat of the fascist troops near Moscow, we pushed them back 200–300 kilometers. It was an outstanding battle in which we proved that there are no invincible armies.

After this, Japan, ready to declare war in the East, where the million-strong Kwantung Army was already at the borders, did not enter the confrontation. It became clear that the Turks would also not be ready to enter the war. Roosevelt and Churchill had to agree with Stalin and join the alliance within the Anti-Hitler coalition. Therefore, this battle is of exceptional importance to us.

Our guys are now fighting on the front. Again, the NATO countries and Anglo-Saxons have declared war on the Russian world. Today we fight against the evil born by the oligarchy and financial capital in the form of fascism and Nazism. Now they have resurrected again in the ugliest and most terrible form.

We must win, but to win, we must know our history. Understand why Peter the Great personally led the battle at Poltava, despite that Charles XII's Swedish army was the strongest in Europe. Understand why Lenin returned to a country without an army, where it had all fled and there was nothing to fight for in WWI. He gathered an army of workers and peasants and made it the strongest in the world, capable of defeating 14 countries that wanted to capture our country and divide it into 20 pieces.

In the Great Patriotic War, all nationalities of the USSR fought bravely. We must show not these disgusting "Chronicles" that spit in the face of our soldiers but the truly victorious history. Then we can win. Today, we must all say that without a left turn, without socialism, without the experience of the Soviet country and the Red Army, we cannot defeat the enemy."

Vladislav GONCHAROV

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Battle of Moscow - Northern Counter Offensive Operations

Kalinin Offensive Operation
The 'Kalinin Offensive Operation' was one of the seven sub-operations together constituting the 'Moscow Strategic Offensive Operation'.

Kalinin Offensive lasted from December 5th 1941 to January 7th 1942.
The operation was launched immediately after the end of the 'Kalinin Defensive Operation' within the 'Moscow Strategic Defensive Operation' as the Soviet forces checked the German 'Taifun' and 'Wotan' drives of Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock’s Heeresgruppe 'Mitte' on Moscow and began their own series of strategic offensives designed to push the German forces back to the west along the entirety of the Eastern Front.

At the beginning of December 1941, General Konev’s Kalinin Front, operating to the north-west of Moscow, saw the establishment of a shock group comprising five divisions of General Major Yushkevich’s 31st Army and three divisions of General Leytenant Maslennikov’s (from 12 December General Major Shvetsov’s) 29th Army.

These armies had not received any reinforcement of freshly formed divisions, so the forthcoming operation was fought on each side by formations which had already been degraded in numbers in the earlier stages of the battles for Moscow.

German Troops Face Encirclement
The offensive push, which was simultaneously undertaken by General Major Lelyushenko’s 30th Army of General Georgi K. Zhukov’s West Front, on the left flank of the 31st Army but to the south of the Volga river reservoir, threatened the rear of Generaloberst Adolf Strauss’s 9th Army with an advance across the Lama river toward Kalinin.
On the night of 16/17 December, Strauss therefore ordered a retreat from the Kalinin area.

Kalinin liberated on December 16th
On the morning of 16 December, the forces of the 31st Army and 29th Army resumed their offensive, and Kalinin was retaken on 16 December.

👉 A deeper dive into the operations on the Kalinin Front can be studied here

#BattleForMoscow #Zhukov

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The Battle for Moscow remembered

In the December of 1981 issue № 34 of «Krokodil» the 40th anniversary of the Battle for Moscow was commemorated.

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The drawing by N.Lisogorsky on the cover of the magazine showed the Soviet tank under the rays of the Sun forming the word «Moscow», crushing the German armour, turning the tide of Hitler’s wanton «Blitzkrieg».

The poem by A.Zharov reads

One can’t forget
That might of bogatyrs,
It is so dear to our beating hearts.
At Moscow,
The enemy’s advance we halted,
It’s here that we first
Undid his arrogance.

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The victory at Stalingrad two years later turned the tide of the war for the whole world to reckon, but Moscow was the watershed.

For communists fighting in the resistence movements of occupied Europe, it was the victory at Moscow that settled the hearts with certainty that the socialist society, the power of the peoples of the USSR would eventually outmatch the military might of the 3rd Reich and its allies.

Many years after the war, the fateful days of 1941 were recalled by a then young communist resistance fighter in a nazi-occupied European country:

«Moscow was constantly on our minds, hearts were heavy and full of worry. Every bit of news were studied vigorously; we knew, that the fate of all was being decided at that moment outside the gates of the Soviet capital.

When December 6th finally came, we, the underground communists, breathed a sigh of relief. From there on, we knew that it was now but a matter of time before the fascist monster would be decisively defeated.

After Moscow, we continued the fight in illegality, enduring any hardship strengthened by this encouraging certainty, as if a bright light was shining deep inside.

Many trials still lay ahead. In the summer of 1944, a traitor sold me and several comrades to the Gestapo.

On April 20, 1945, I was rescued from the German KZ camp where the SS had annihilated many a brave comrade of mine. The date holds its own symbolism: it was Hitler's last birthday, and on the same day the Red Army opened the attack on Berlin with long-range artillery.

We were saved by the Red Army.»

#Krokodil #WeRemember #BattleForMoscow

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In 1812

Illarion Pryanishnikov, 1874
(1840–1894)

In December 1812, the remnants of Napoleon's Grand Army left the Russian Empire.

The remnants, again, had to go through the Neman, only now, in the opposite direction.

Under the banner of the great conqueror, a huge army came to Russia - more than six hundred thousand soldiers of different nations. Few managed to escape.

According to various estimates, no more than thirty thousand returned to Europe.

And no, it was not the frost that defeated them. The Grand Army suffered decisive losses in a relatively mild climate. Russia simply turned out to be too tough for the “United Europe”.

Perhaps the most famous picture about the ordeals of the unlucky conquerors in the last weeks of the Patriotic War of 1812 is this one by Illarion Pryanishnikov.

Let it remind us of the Russian victory.

And let us remember the words of Mikhail Kutuzov from the world famous novel “War and Peace”, addressed to Russian soldiers:

“The Tsar will not forget you for your service. It’s difficult for you, but you’re still at home; and they, you see what they have come to”, he said, pointing to the prisoners. "Worse than the last beggars. While they were strong, we did not feel sorry for ourselves, but now we can feel sorry for them. They are people too. Right, guys?"

Source - edited

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Is this really the Green Party?

The latest convention of Germany’s ecological party has taken on some striking new shades. One of the speakers, wearing a T-shirt with the provocative slogan 'Let’s Make Russia Small Again,' delivered a fiery speech from the podium, proudly declaring his membership in a party he called 'the bulwark of democracy fighting Putin’s fascist regime in Russia.' His remarks—complete with telling gestures—were met with enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Apparently, the time isn’t far off when Germany’s parliamentarians will abandon environmental concerns altogether and fully embrace the quest for 'Lebensraum' in the East.

And they don’t need to look far for role models—right next door, in Ukraine, Nazi ideology has long taken root. To learn how it was cultivated and flourished, watch the film 'Fast Forward to Fascism' by Olga Kiriy and Ekaterina Kitaitseva.

Source: @MTdocumentary

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🚩 89 years ago, on December 5, 1936, the VIII Extraordinary Congress of Soviets adopted a new Constitution of the USSR, known as the Stalinist.

On June 12, 1936, the Constitution project was published and discussed for half a year at all levels — from meetings of workers on enterprises to republican congresses of Soviets. More than half of the adult population of the country participated in the discussion, the commission received 154 thousand proposals, amendments, and additions. The editorial commission adopted 47 amendments and additions to more than 30 articles.

On December 5, 1936, the VIII Extraordinary Congress of Soviets adopted a new Constitution of the USSR. The Constitution consisted of 13 chapters and 146 articles. It consolidated the socialist system that had been established in the USSR, realistically ensured political and socio-economic rights of workers — universal suffrage with equal secret voting, the right to work and rest, the right to material support in illness and old age, the right to receive free education, and so on. Nowhere else in the world was there such a Law granting so many rights and freedoms to an ordinary person. Unlike bourgeois constitutions, the Constitution of the USSR did not limit itself to fixing formal citizens' rights. The focus was shifted to the question of guarantees of these rights and means of their implementation.

It was precisely with the 1936 Stalinist Constitution that our country completed industrialisation, won the Great Patriotic War, restored the national economy in the post-war years, and opened the space age.

Source

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