I.  The War Begins

II.  America on the Home Front 

III.  The European Theater

• Battle of Stalingrad

From Andrew in Russia

I think that you know that this battle was one of the most important battles in the Great Patriotic War. It continued from 17 of July 1942 to 2 of February 1943.  This city was the most important industrial city on the cost of the Volga and if Gitler had captured it he would have protect the rear of his army and go to the Kavkaz that s why Stalin forbade to hand over a city.  The mass German bombardment on 23 of August destroyed about 80% of dwelling houses there.  Citizens were fighting for each street than house than room. On 19 of November the main forces of Soviet army came to Stalingrad where they were fighting with German army for 4 months.  In this battle the German army lost about 1,5 million people, about 2 thousand tanks, about 10 thousand mortars.  The Soviet army lost 1 million 130 thousand people, about 4 thousand tanks, about 16 thousand mortars.

• Stalingradsky fight - one of the largest in the Second World War.

From Pavel in Russia  The battle of Stalingrad proceeded 200 days. The fascist block has lost in this fight killed, wounded men, captured and missing about 1,5 million persons is a quarter of all armed forces operating on the Soviet-German front. Stalingradsky fight has brought solving contribution to fundamental change achievement to a course not only the Great Patriotic War soldiers, but also all Second World War. Crisis in arms of Red army has begun. The Front has amazed the sharpest crisis. There was a real threat of defeat of the USSR. The order 227 "to a step became a consequence back!": 1. For deviation without the order, for unjustified loss of an equipment and staff immediate execution on a place was provided. 2. The officers who were taken prisoner, appeared traitors and their families too appeared traitors. 3. Protecting groups from parts of People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs to which the order has been given have been created to shoot on the receding. In such heavy and extreme conditions for the USSR and Red army Stalingradsky fight has begun. It proceeded since July, 17th 1942 on February, 2nd, 1943. On June, 29th, 1942 the group of armies "" under the direction of the general the Side background has started to develop approach near Kharkov. It has struck blow to a direction to Voronezh. This approach pursued the double aim. On the one hand safety of flank of group of armies "And" was provided, and with another - there was an imitation of large-scale German approach in a direction Voronezh - Moscow. In the beginning of July the group of armies "And" which has developed approach to Stalingrad has been entered into fights. The Soviet armies which have lost all reserves in the Kharkov operation, have begun deviation to Stalingrad. Stalingradsky fight on July, 17th has begun. German forces made: 6 army under the direction of Pauljus and tank army under the direction of Gotha, and also allied Hungarian, Italian and Romanian parts. Сталинград defended 62 army under the direction of Chujkova and 64 army of general Shumilov.

• From Andrew in Russia

Cold war — global geopolitical, economic and ideological confrontation between the USA both their allies, on the one hand, and Soviet Union and its allies — with another, lasting from the middle 1940 prior to the beginning of 1990th years. As the confrontation reason (first of all Great Britain and the USA) hits of a part of Europe under influence of a totalitarian mode the fear of the countries of the West has served in the USSR.The USA and the USSR have created the spheres of influence, having fixed their military-political blocks — the NATO and the Warsaw Contract. Cold war was accompanied by race of the usual and nuclear arms, continually threatening to lead to the third world war. The Caribbean crisis of 1962 became most known of such cases when the world appeared on the verge of accident. In this connection in 1970th years both parties had been undertook efforts on "discharge" of an international tension and restriction of arms.Accruing technological backlog of the USSR, along with stagnation of the Soviet economy and unreasonable military expenses in the late seventies — the beginning 1980, have compelled the Soviet management to go on political and economic reforms. Declared by Michael Gorbachev in 1985 the course on reorganisation and publicity has led to loss of a supervising role of the CPSU, however could not prevent an economic collapse in the USSR. Finally the USSR burdened with an economic crisis, and also social and international problems, has broken up in 1991. In the Eastern Europe the communistic governments, having lost the Soviet support, have been displaced even earlier, in 1989-1990. The Warsaw contract has officially stopped the action on July, 1st, 1991, and from this point on it is possible to count the termination of cold war.

• During World War II as part of the Soviet Union, soldiers from Asia, namely from Central Asian republics were mobilized to fight against Nazi Germany. During the interview Askarsho Afzalshoev, a WWII veteran from Badakhshon province of Tajikistan said to RFERL that more than 2500 soldiers went to contribute to defeat Nazis. According to him more mobilization of soldiers to the war field from Badakhshan of Tajikistan started in 1943. The veteran said it was not secure in the south of the former Soviet Union's border with Afghanistan and it was possible that Japan could enter from Chinese side, so according to a special programme the youth in the region received military training and only after the situation changed, they were sent to the field of Stalingrad.

RFERL interview with Tajik veteran (in Tajik language) Halima from Isfara.

IV.  The Pacific Theater

V.  The War in the Pacific Ends 

VI.  The Aftermath