The Battles of Rzhev were one of the bloodiest and hardest fights of WWII. They lasted 14 months. The Red Army tried to destroy the Wehrmacht forces to prevent the capture of Moscow and flank and rear attacks on the Kalinin Front. The irregular terrain held back the counter-offensive. Moreover, Germans managed to build several defensive lines and had tank, artillery, and air superiority . Soviet attacks kept breaking down. The Red Army only managed to push the front lines by just a bit. “Soldiers fought for 5-6 days for a single patch of land, a wall of a destroyed house, or a small hill”, wrote Ilia Erenburg, military journalist. However, Wehrmacht was forced to defend Rzhev, which prevented it from sending reinforcements to Stalingrad and the Caucasus. The long battled drained everyone. The Nazis also suffered severe losses, and eventually were forced to retreat. But before they did, they locked citizens of Rzhev in a mined church. The Battles of Rzhev taught the Red Army to break down the enemy defenses and effectively use assault teams. Hundreds of thousands Soviet soldiers perished in the Battles. But their deaths were not in vain.


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The clips have been created by the interregional public organization of large families "The Big Family" with the support of the Presidential Grants Fund. The information partner of the project is the Orthodox magazine "Foma" / foma.ru

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